


Words with Strangers

by Nolebucgrl



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: All Human, F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-05
Updated: 2013-04-20
Packaged: 2017-11-06 23:55:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 51
Words: 281,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/424612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nolebucgrl/pseuds/Nolebucgrl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>EPOV Companion Piece to Words with Friends. Movie star Edward Cullen is done with women and focused on his career. A stranger reaches out to him via Words with Friends. Will her words change his mind?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Another interview down, about a billion more to go. I sighed wearily as I made way back into the dressing room where the makeup artist descended upon me to remove the stuff they smeared on my face before I went on camera.

"That wasn't bad at all," Garrett Steinberg, my manager, crowed.

I raised a brow at him. "We're just getting started and the questions about her have only begun." Yeah, Letterman hadn't hammered at me about Irina, but some of the others would.

"Part of the game, my boy. Next time don't get involved with a co-star." I liked Garrett. He didn't kiss my ass the way a lot of managers would. As for his advice, well, that went without saying. I hadn't been involved with anybody and I planned on keeping it that way.

"Not a problem, I assure you." I hadn't been laid in nearly four months, not since that little slip with Maggie Malone. What I'd thought had been a one-night stand had turned into virtual stalking. Thankfully she'd been on tour with her band in Europe and I hadn't heard from her in a few months. Maybe the message had sunk in. Thank God the press hadn't gotten wind of it. No, going it alone was for the best for now. I'd rather that than be in the tabloids every five minutes the way Irina was.

"Good. Now, we need to get to the hotel. You have an appearance on _Good Morning America_ in the morning, followed by _Regis & Kelly_." I did my best to keep the irritation off my face but clearly I failed. "Hey, you're the one that wanted to try something different. This movie needs all the press it can get. You don't have a surefire hundred million dollar flick. It needs promoting."

I knew it did. I'd actually been excited to step out of the box and do a movie that required me to be more than just an action star. Early reviews were good and there was even some Oscar buzz around my performance. If I ever wanted to be taken seriously as an actor, I needed to do this.

Of course, when I'd started the process, I hadn't expected to have Irina shoved in my face at every turn. That was it, no more dating actresses or other famous women; which pretty much meant no dating period since I wasn't about to date a fan. That was fine, though, because I needed to concentrate on my career. It seemed my hand and I were going to become even better acquainted for the next year or so.

I stood and gestured to Garrett to get me out of here. I needed to catch some shut eye before the next round of press. I was already tired and we hadn't even started the premiere circuit yet. I was in New York through the premiere tomorrow night and then off to Chicago, London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo and Australia. It was going to be a long couple of weeks.

"Let's get to the hotel."

"Eddie, my boy, you're much too young to be tired already. It's my old bones that should be creaking." Garrett slung an arm around me and grinned.

"You're forty-two; I don't think you're ready to retire quite yet. Plus, you're in nearly as good of shape as I am. And don't call me Eddie." He knew I hated that shit.

"Got to, my boy. Gotta look good for my Katie." Kate was his wife and my publicist. I liked having both of them on my team. They obviously worked together well. I felt a little pang of loneliness and shrugged it off. I was only twenty-five. I had plenty of time to find my other half, the way Garrett had. Sure, and where might I do that? Like it was that easy.

We arrived at the hotel and ducked in the side entrance as pre-arranged with the front desk. I hurried into my room and flopped down on the bed. Another hotel room. Better get used to it, Cullen. You'll be home in a couple weeks. I flicked on the TV and grinned when I found _Dazed & Confused. _Thank God for awesome movies. They were a constant comfort to me at times like this. Plus, I got fodder to tease Affleck and McConaughey about their performances.

"Alright, alright," I said I a pitch perfect imitation of Wooderson if I did say so myself. Tonight wouldn't be so bad after all.

Xoxoxoxox

"See, you rocked it!" Garrett slapped me on the back after I got finished with my appearance on _Live with Regis & Kelly._

"Yeah, it wasn't too bad." Only seven more questions about Irina between the two interviews. It was irritating. I was over her, why couldn't the press get over us? I took cold comfort in the fact that she was going to get the same questions and she was the one who had something to answer for. She was the one who'd been screwing both her co-stars. Of course the press loved it. This was going to be a long two weeks.

I followed Garrett into the limo and pulled up my _Words with Friends_ app. Time to see what my brother had played this time. Emmett took it upon himself to try to play the dirtiest words that he could get away with and I constantly had messages from him lamenting that words like cunt and fuck didn't work. I snorted when I saw he'd played pussy this time. That, no doubt, had given him joy.

_Thought I'd play that for you since you're not playing with any these days. Why not bang that Kelly chick while you're in New York? Or go for the big fish and get Oprah when you go home. I'd totally hit that! You could retire and let her be your sugar momma. Damn it, I need to be on this trip with you!_

My brother had issues. Kelly was married and Oprah was more than twice my age and more than a little scary. I didn't bother leaving him a message, playing party off his pussy. He'd get a kick out of that no doubt.

I played a few more words and then I closed the app and then closed my eyes. I'd catch a catnap at the hotel for a bit before the premiere.

Xoxoxoxox

"Edward! Edward! Over here!" Cameras were going off, microphones were thrust in my face and screaming fans dotted the red carpet. I smiled and waved and signed what I could as I made my way through the gauntlet of press.

"Have you seen Irina yet? Did she arrive with James?"

I smirked at the catty reporter. "I can't say that I have. You'd know before I would." I moved past her and continued down the line. Too bad I couldn't say that I didn't give a damn. Being politically correct was not fun but Garrett and Kate would both kick my ass if I said what I really thought.

The movie went well, or so it seemed to me. The applause and congratulations after were hearty, so I thought maybe it would be well received. Then again, people rarely told you that you sucked at a premiere. It was the day after, in the reviews, that you found out what they really thought.

I sucked it up at the after party and allowed myself to be photographed with both Irina and James. She'd wrapped her arms around my waist and let her fingers ghost over my ass when doing so. I'd maintained my cool and disentangled myself from her claws as subtly as I could.

"Come to my room tonight," she whispered as she kissed my cheek, her breasts jutting against my arm as she pushed her body against me. She was in some skintight red thing that left nothing to the imagination, not that I needed to imagine it. Been there, done that and not going back.

I bit back a laugh and stepped away. "I don't think so. Goodnight, Irina." Her ice blue eyes narrowed and she pouted but there wasn't much she could do. I'd make damn sure not to open my door tonight though. Did she think I was really that pathetic that I'd take her back now?

I made nice for a couple hours and then I gave Garrett the high sign to get me out of there. We made our goodbyes and got in the limo. One premiere down at least.

"Can you do something about her groping my ass?" I asked Garrett as he slid into the limo next to Kate.

"What would you have me to? Tackle her on the red carpet? That would be subtle," he laughed and shook his head. "Sorry, son, you're going to have put up with it for a little bit. I'd say something to Aro but…"

"Hell, no." Aro was her manager and her father. He wanted nothing more than for the two of us to get back together. Not happening.

"Exactly. Then she'd know she was getting to you. Just ignore it and brush her off, just like you did. I'll make sure someone's stationed in the hall if you're worried about her showing up in your room."

"No, I can handle it."

I opened my phone and pulled up Words. Nothing from my brother but I had a few other games open and responded to those, then noticed that I had a name I'd never seen before. BluBell22. Like the cheese? That was kind of awesome. I opened the game and saw they'd played name. Maybe this was one of those random matches. What the hell? I played teams off of name and opened the messenger. There was always the possibility that someone had a new name.

**Hi. Do I know you?**

I closed the app and rested my eyes. Tomorrow, it was on to Chicago.

Xoxoxoxox

It was good to be home. Too bad I was only here for a few hours. I couldn't even go to my childhood home, which my parents still maintained even though we all lived in Hollywood now. I was in the dressing room waiting to go talk to Oprah. Garrett and Kate were coordinating some more interviews and I was bored.

I opened my phone and pulled up Words again. Hmm, that BluBell22 had played and left me a message. I clicked on it and felt myself smiling at his/her words.

_No, I just wanted someone new to play with._

You and me both, my new friend. Too bad the only playing I'd be doing would be with myself for awhile.

_Oh, I didn't mean it like that! Sorry, I'm a spaz._

I found myself laughing. A spaz? That was different. Well, better a spaz than a stalker, right?

She/he had played spy. Hmm, that was an interesting choice of words to go with my stalker thought. Oh well, what was the harm in responding? I needed to find out if my new friend was a male or a female, because calling them he/she was kind of dumb. Time to have a little fun with my spaz.

**A spaz? That's too bad. Here I was thinking my favorite cheese had come to life and was reaching out to me. I guess my nutritionist will be thankful that's not the case. I like playing with someone new, on occasion. Your move, Cheese Girl/Guy?**

We'll see what they have to say to that. I played phage on their spy. Dad would be so proud of me retaining some of his medical knowledge, though I'd actually learned that one when I'd guested on Grey's Anatomy.

I closed the app just as Garrett told me it was almost time. Here we go again.


	2. Chapter 2

The flight from Chicago to London was long. Eight hours on a plane. My body was still geared to Pacific time so I wasn't tired. I read through my next Steele script, making notes on some things that didn't make sense to me. Garrett and Kate were snuggled up in the seat behind me. Irina was on the other side of the plane, thankfully, although I could still see the back of her head if I wanted to. Not that I did. She was whispering with her father, who traveled with her everywhere.

The seat next to me was empty, holding only my bag. I rifled through it and got out my iPod, closing my eyes and losing myself in the Beatles. Mom had been a huge fan and had instilled a love for them in me from the time I was a little kid. To this day; John, Paul, George and Ringo were my escape. Meeting Paul McCartney a couple of years ago still ranked as the best thing that ever happened to me. Sometimes all this travel could be a pain in the ass but the perks certainly made up for it.

I felt movement beside me and opened my eyes to find Irina shifting my bag and lowering herself into the seat. Was she kidding me? What part of "I'm not interested" was she not getting? Why'd she have to be on this flight? I would have thought she'd have left out of New York like James did but no; she'd been in Chicago, lying in wait.

I closed my eyes and tried to pretend that I was sleeping. I felt her fingers ghost along my forearm though and I had to move my arm away. No way was I letting her molest me while I pretended to sleep. "What are you doing? Go back to your seat," I hissed at her, not bothering to take out my earphones. She said something in response but I couldn't hear her. I just pointed at them and closed my eyes again.

She wasn't to be deterred though. She pulled the right one out. "Hey!" I said. Garrett cleared his throat behind me and I knew he was ready to send her away if I asked him to.

"Eddie, I need to talk to you."

I sighed and shut off my iPod. May as well get this done without a billion cameras around at least. "As you well know, my name is not Eddie. What do you want to talk about?"

Her blue eyes were pleading. I felt myself softening toward the look on her face before I reminded myself that she was a consummate actress. Seriously, she could have earned an Oscar for the way she'd played the role of attentive girlfriend while we were dating. I hadn't a clue she was fucking around with James and God knew who else.

"I want to talk about us."

"Well, that's a short discussion. There is no us." I started fiddling with my iPod, prepared to turn it back on and she put her hand over mine. I pulled away from her. She didn't get to touch me, not anymore. I glanced around and saw that her father was watching us carefully. "Did Daddy send you over?"

Aro Ivanov was a major Hollywood power broker, a mega-agent until he'd dropped all his clients to focus solely on his daughter. She required a lot of attention, especially since we'd broken up. I knew he wanted us back together so she'd settle down and maybe stop being such a pain in his ass. Not likely.

She pouted prettily. "How could you say that? Don't you know you're on my mind all the time?"

I laughed scornfully and heard Kate mutter something to Garrett behind me. I'm pretty sure it was "slut" but it was hard to tell.

"Was I on your mind when you were boning James? I suppose you could have been worried about me catching you. Does that count?" I asked. The good thing was I didn't really care. I was just curious as to what she was playing at. Did she honestly think she could talk her way back into my good graces?

"How could you say that to me?" Shock colored her words and her expression. Yeah, she really was a great actress. "You know that you're the only man I've ever loved."

I scoffed at that declaration. "You've never loved anybody but yourself. Don't bullshit me, Irina. Are you forgetting that I'm one of the only people that knows the real you?" Too bad I didn't meet her until the day we broke up. It would have saved me a lot of time and effort because I wouldn't have stepped within a mile of her. When I caught her and James and refused to forgive her, the claws had come out. The things she'd said, the names she'd called me, and the threats she'd made were all imprinted in my mind. I wasn't going to forget.

"Yes, you do know me, Edward. You remember that week in Cozumel? The weekend in Aspen? We were so happy then."

I rolled my eyes. "No, we were so horny then. We had great sex, Irina. That's it. And it obviously wasn't even enough for you."

"I was stupid! I was so full of feelings for you that I got scared and I acted rashly. But it's you I want, Edward. It'll always be you." Her eyes welled with tears.

Garrett coughed loudly and I knew he was trying not to laugh. I didn't bother to try, laughing derisively. "Why are you here, Irina? Do you want forgiveness? Fine, you can have it. I really don't care anymore."

Her eyes widened and she smiled brightly. "Really? Oh, Edward!" Next thing I knew she'd thrown her arms around me and was trying to kiss me. I turned my head and felt her lips against my ear.

"Damn it, Irina, get off me." I pulled away and saw that Kate was tugging her arms from around my neck. "I said I forgive you, not that I want you back. We're over. Period."

"But, Edward…"

"No buts, Irina. I am done. Now get away from me. I'm stuck with you for the next two weeks to promote the movie. We'll both play nice in front of the cameras and then we can be away from each other for good."

Her eyes narrowed and she let Kate pull her to her feet. "I'll make you want me again, Edward. I swear it!" And she stomped down the aisle back to her father, who was glaring at me, his mouth in a thin line of disapproval. Asshole.

"Well, Eddie, you sure know how pick em," Kate said, sliding into Irina's vacated seat.

I laughed and slid an arm around her. "You loved it when we were dating. You said we were a publicist's dream."

She grinned. "And so you were, until she turned into a nightmare. Next time pick a less crazy actress."

I groaned. "No more actresses."

Her blue/green eyes twinkled. "Musician then?"

"Not funny. There isn't going to be a next time, at least not for awhile. Unless you do the smart thing and leave Garrett for me."

She laughed and grinned over her shoulder at her husband. "Hmmm, now that's a heck of an offer. Chuck ten years of marriage for Edward Cullen. I'm sorely tempted."

Garrett huffed. "I do have the power to fire you, you know."

She batted her eyes at me. "Eddie here will just rehire me."

"Not if you call me Eddie I won't," I told her with a grin. These two were the best. Only they could bring a smile to my face minutes after that ridiculousness with Irina.

"Some would-be boyfriend you are! You suck at home wrecking. I guess I'll stay with him then."

Garrett laughed. "I can feel the love radiating off you, Katie. You're too good to me."

"I am. Now, let me play guard dog for the rest of this flight. If Irina comes back, she'll leave with a black eye."

I grinned and kissed her cheek. "I do love you, Kate."

"Too late. I've already decided to stay with my husband. You'll just have to pine for me silently." She rested her head on my shoulder. "I'll allow you to be my pillow though."

"Good deal. Just don't drool on me."

"You're used to women drooling over you. You'll deal."

I snorted and put my earbuds back in. "Sweet dreams, Kate. And thank you. You too, Garrett."

He laughed. "I didn't do anything other than let you abscond with my wife. I want her back after the flight though."

"No problem." Their relationship reminded me of my parents. They just fit. I ignored the pang and closed my eyes.

Xoxoxoxox

We arrived at the Dorchester hotel in London and I waved Kate and Garrett off to their own room after a cursory check of mine. It had everything I could possibly want and I sank into the bed to relax. The publicity would start fast and furious tomorrow so I just wanted some time to myself.

I sent a quick text to my parents to let them know I'd made it to London before opening Words. Emmett had played and so had my mystery person. I opened BluBell's first and saw they'd gotten a double word score with chug. Nice one. I clicked the green box to see if I'd gotten any answers from them.

_I'm afraid I'm not your favorite cheese, but I probably wouldn't mind if you took a bite out of me, so long as it wasn't a big one. Who cares what your nutritionist thinks? This girl likes her cheese and so should you!_

I laughed at loud at her words. Good thing she was a girl. I wasn't going to be biting any guys in the near future. Well, girls for that matter either. But it was nice to pretend. And I did like cheese.

_Who the heck has a nutritionist anyway? You're not some bedridden fat guy that has to be removed from his house by a helicopter are you? It's okay if you are, I'll still play with you, well, electronically anyway._

I laughed harder at that one. If you only knew, Cheese Girl. Nutritionists were just part of the package, one that would ensure I'd never need a helicopter to lift me out of my house.

The innuendo though! This girl had some balls. I liked it.

_Your move, He/She-man?_

And she obviously wanted to know about me as well. I couldn't blame her. I'd been curious after all too, and after reading her responses, I was only more so. Time to have some fun with my new friend. Anybody that could make me laugh that quickly was someone I wanted to know more about.

**I only weigh a svelte four hundred pounds and I'm not bedridden, thank you very much. You have to weigh at least six hundred before they call in the helicopters. But I'm sure if I took a bite out of you I'd gain a little and be a step closer to that glory.**

I found myself grinning at my own response. I could match wits with Cheese Girl.

**I'll have you know that I know quite a few people with nutritionists and none of them are glandularly challenged, nor am I really. I know that's not a word that Words with Friends would recognize, but I like it and it gets my point across.**

Glandularly should be a word. It sounded like one. And I did know a lot of people with nutritionists. It was part of the package. She consulted with my cook and they made menus and all that crap. Of course, I got to eat whatever I wanted when I traveled. I'd pay for it when I got home. Alec would whip me into shape in no time.

How to end it? Ahh, I had it!

**You're the one that loves cheese so much that she named herself after some, so maybe I should be sending the helicopters to you. Where should I send them? Of course, if I'm really He-Man, I guess I could lift you myself, though Battle Cat might have to help if you don't lay off the cheese. Your move, She-Ra.**

That worked. I grinned to myself as I flipped back to the game board. In keeping with my medical theme, I played toxin. I kind of couldn't wait to see what She-Ra had to say next.

I opened Emmett's game and saw he'd played dork. I opened his message and found myself laughing again.

_Did you know a dork is a whale's dick? My dick is nearly as big as a whale's, so I thought it appropriate. How's yours? Did you go after Oprah like I told you? Or are you holding out for a London hottie? Just remember, if you meet Kate Beckinsale, she's mine. I'll kick your ass if you hook up with her. Well, no I won't. I'll want details. But I'll still be pissed._

Why my brother thought I was going to hook up with every actress on the planet was beyond me. Hell, he'd hooked up with more of them than I had. They had a thing for stuntmen, it seemed.

**Yes, I knew what a dork was. And you do not have a whale dick. More like a shrimp dick.**

**What is your obsession with Oprah? So not going there, brother.**

**Kate says hi.**

I chuckled as I played dong off his dick. Too perfect. And my parting shot would leave him wondering if I was talking about my Kate or Beckinsale. Let him wonder.

Xoxoxoxox

Two more interviews down, three to go. I sat patiently as yet another makeup artist descended upon me. These British shows really loved their gossip. I'd had to endure more Irina questions. At least I didn't have to see her until the premiere tomorrow. Kate had made sure to book me at separate times. She was a godsend.

"You ready?" Garrett asked. I looked at the makeup girl who smiled.

"He's just perfect." She blushed and turned away when I grinned at her. She was old enough to be my mom but that didn't seem to matter.

"That he is. Come on, Prince Charming, you've got a show to do."

I glanced forlornly at my phone. I wanted to see if Cheese Girl had replied but I was running the press gauntlet today. Hopefully I'd get some time after the next interview.

I sailed through that one and got into a car to head back to the hotel where I was meeting with some reporter for _The Sun._ Garrett and Kate were comparing notes and I tuned them out and opened my Words app. There she was!

"What are you grinning about?" Garrett asked.

"Just a message."

"Emmett being a pervert again?" Kate laughed.

"Always." So I wasn't grinning about my brother. They didn't need to know that. I hurried and opened my game. Damn, she nailed me with an 83 point word. Cheese Girl was tough. I opened her message quickly.

_Do you have helicopters on speed dial? Couple that with the nutritionist and you must be a bazillionaire or something. Is this Donald Trump? Because if it is, I'm afraid I'll have to end this game now. That thing on your head might crawl through my phone and attack me. We can't have that. And see, I can make up my own words as well!_

Donald Trump? This head full of hair was all my own, thank you very much. She had good taste though. If Donald was on the other end, I'd go running too.

_I limit my cheese intake, even though it's difficult. However, if you were to take a bite out of me, I promise you'd gain plenty, but in all the right places._

Holy shit. Was that my dick stirring? Yes, yes it was. I had a hard on going in the back of a limo with Garrett and Kate. Not cool. Cheese Girl did go to all the right places, but at the wrong time. The image of biting on a long, slim neck had me going. Damn it. Think unsexy thoughts. Think Oprah.

_You can send your unnecessary helicopters and tigers to Washington State, Mr. Trump, but leave your hair in New York or California, wherever all the nutritionists are flocking these days. If I was a betting girl, I'd say Cali. What say you, Donald?_

So she was in Washington. That wasn't so very far away. Why was I thinking about that? It didn't matter if she lived down the street from me. She was still a stranger. A stranger who had gotten my dick hard with a few words and made me laugh just as easily as she turned me on apparently. What harm was there in getting to know her a little better? I could be myself without having to deal with all the bullshit of being Edward Cullen, actor. Time for some fun.

**Oh yes, all of us Californians have helicopters on speed dial, along with nutritionists, psychics and yoga instructors** _._

I'd never done yoga in my life, nor had I consulted with a psychic. But it was fun to play up the stereotype and God knows I knew people who had.

**I'm afraid I'm not a bazillionaire, just a plain old millionaire. I wish you could see me hanging my head in shame.**

There, that was something true but she'd definitely think I was kidding, I hoped.

**You have offended my hair, Cheese Girl. I'm afraid it's going to be even more unmanageable than usual after you dared to question if I was Donald Trump. I'll hold you to blame if someone takes a picture of me looking like the Bride of Frankenstein or something.**

Just imagining the blogging and tweeting that would be done if I had Bride of Frankenstein hair made me laugh out loud. It would be pandemonium. Kate monitored that stuff and gave me the highlights, or lowlights as it was. People were weird. The things they obsessed over killed me. What did a jaw that could cut glass even really mean?

"What are you laughing at?" Garrett asked, trying to peer at my phone.

"Nothing." This was for me and me alone.

"You better not be tweeting," Kate told me. She'd forbidden me from joining that media wave, not that I had any urge to.

"No, Kate, I swear. No tweeting." Now let me get back to my cheese girl, please.

**At least you're on the right coast. We might be able to play more regularly when I get home and get back on my usual schedule. You're close enough that I can send my helicopter and my nutritionist to you. She can assess just how unhealthy you might be if I did take a bite out of you. I have to know for sure that you'd go to all the right places, as you put it.**

Should I have said that? I mean, she started it, so it was okay to continue that theme, right? And my cock was definitely hard. I shifted in my seat and hoped I'd be presentable before we got to the hotel. I might need to take a break before the next interview. I wonder if the hotel has any unscented lotion.

**Don't think I didn't notice that 83 point word, missy. You're kicking my ass, so you better make it up to me somehow. Your move, Swiss Miss.**

I laughed to myself as I played the word joint. I should play that against Emmett, to remind him of his last arrest. What would She-Ra make of it?

Xoxoxoxox

Luckily, my problem had abated by the time we got back to the hotel. All they had was girly, flowery lotion anyway. I could have gone without but really, it was silly to get turned on by just one sentence from a girl I didn't even know. And who knew if she was a girl? She could be old, or even worse, young or even worse, a he. What if she was underage and I was getting turned on by her? That was so wrong. I'd need to ask more about her soon, clearly.

I got through the print interviews and declined Garrett's invitation to dine with him and Kate in the hotel dining room. I ordered a steak from room service and watched some British sitcoms. I found myself laughing a couple of times, but mostly I was bored. I grabbed my phone and smiled when I saw she'd gotten back to me again. Whoever she was, she was there when I needed her.

_Psychics huh? Have you consulted her or him about me? What do they say?_

Wouldn't you like to know? Then again, maybe one could tell me how old she was and what she looked like. Right. Like they knew.

_Are you sure you're not a girl? Yoga? You must be very bendy._

Haha I was plenty flexible, even without the yoga. Is she bendy? That would be nice. And, there I was getting hard again. Clearly I was horny. This was a problem since I'd sworn off women.

_Words cannot express how apologetic I am for insulting your hair. Please send it my sincerest apologies and the request that it not revolt. Bride of Frankenstein hair is unacceptable for a millionaire. If you were a bazillionaire, people wouldn't care what you looked like and you could eat that extra cheese. Get to work on that._

I wondered what would happen if I suddenly turned up fat and balding. The fans would run away in droves. Hmm, maybe I should consider that when I was ready to retire.

_Is your nutritionist scary? Maybe you should send the psychic. Better yet, send the yoga instructor, especially if it's a guy. Then I can see just what kind of moves you have._

Hey! I didn't want any yoga guy going to see her on my behalf. And why was I feeling possessive of a girl I didn't even know? That was nuts.

_Do you doubt that I'd go to the right places? And here I thought I might have already had an effect, even without the bite. Maybe I should start doing yoga myself._

Oh man, that did it. Harder than ever. Fancy, girly lotion might have to suffice, because the mental image of a firm little ass bent over as she reached toward her toes or whatever they did in yoga was a bit too much for me. Yeah, Cheese Girl, you go to the right place. Trust me on that.

_How shall I make it up to you? I wouldn't want to lose someone whose ass I can kick so easily, so I'll do anything I can to keep you around. I like to win. Your turn, Not-so-Rich Boy_

Anything to keep me around? I really, really like the sound of that. Play first or play with myself first? Get it done, Cullen.

**My psychic said that a mystery girl would come into my life that would challenge my mind and certain other parts of my anatomy. She didn't tell me it would be via WWF, but I'm guessing you're the girl.**

Not guessing. Completely sure, but let her guess a little.

**I am quite bendy, thank you very much. And I'd tell you my favorite position, but I need to know you a bit better first. I wouldn't want to corrupt an innocent mind or anything, though I doubt you possess one!**

Ha! That'll get her wondering. And God knew she had a dirty mind. She'd started us down this track, after all. I was just letting her take the lead and going on a very enjoyable ride.

**I'm happy to report that my hair has forgiven you for the insult and it managed to behave itself all day long, which might be a record for it. Perhaps you're a good influence on my hair, and a bad influence on the rest of me? How do you manage that, Sybil? Or should I call you Sally Field?**

There was nothing wrong with a good Sally Field reference. You like me, you really, really like me! I really liked this conversation.

**Excuse me, but if anybody's going to show you my moves, it'll be me, not my yoga instructor, who happens to be a woman, or are you into that sort of thing?**

And that would be fodder for another fantasy. First yoga and then girl on girl. Yeah, I needed to wrap this up so I could give my cock some much needed relief.

**Gouda Budda, I have all the faith in the world that you'd go to the right places. You already do. Which brings to mind a question I probably should have already asked. How old are you anyway? I don't want to end up on that To Catch a Predator show, even though it's you doing the corrupting here. Maybe you should be asking my age.**

Damn right, I wanted to know how old she was. If she was illegal, we needed to curtail this line of conversation right now. I could just see the headlines. _Edward Cullen Arrested for Corrupting Minor._ On the plus side, people would probably think it was a mistake and that my brother had been the one arrested. That was his MO, after all.

**I like to win, too, and so far I feel like I am even though the score's rather lopsided in your favor. You want to make it up to me? Tell me who you are, beyond the cheese and the wit. I'll run out of cheese names sooner or later, so give me something else to play with. Your move, Gidget.**

I was really anxious for her response. This girl had me curious in a way I hadn't been in a long time. Hopefully she was legal. And cute. I already knew she was smart and funny. Maybe I was asking too much for her to be any more than that. Ah well.

She'd played lone, which was a word I was all too familiar with. I countered with razed, so I could try to get a little closer to her in the score. She was kicking my ass and she was owning it too. Well, maybe she owned another part entirely. I groaned as I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Time to relieve some tension. I'd use the shower instead of the girly lotion. Maybe I'd have to see if the hotel had unscented lotion for later. I had a feeling I'd need some when I got her response. Please let her be legal. She was too much fun to walk away from.


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing I did when I woke up was take a much needed piss. Then I reached for my phone. I had an hour before the next round of interviews began. Plenty of time to see what my mystery girl had to say. It was ridiculous but I felt myself smiling when I saw her name. Beery, though? The words you could add y to that this game accepted always surprised me. I needed to catch up so I played jibed and got 60 points before flipping to her message.

_Of course I'm the girl. Or woman, if you want to be technical. To answer question number one, I'm twenty-two. Perfectly legal, so Chris Hanson won't be knocking on your door with cameras. That's kind of a shame, because then I'd get to see what you looked like, but I guess we couldn't play together in any kind of way if you were in jail. That would be a travesty. Same question to you. I don't want to get handcuffed either, at least not in that way_

I blew out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. Twenty-two was a very nice age. And how great was it that she knew _To Catch a Predator?_ I seemed to be on the same wavelength with this girl.

Sorry, sweetheart, but you're not seeing what I look like. That would change this little chat into something else entirely and the last thing I need is another fangirl wanting Edward Cullen. I'd far prefer you to enjoy the man behind the words.

My dick, of course, was perking up at handcuffs. She was a kinky little thing, wasn't she? I liked it.

_I think I'm offended that you don't think I have an innocent mind. All I've talked about was cheese, fat and eating. That's all perfectly innocent. Though I suppose my handcuff comment above makes my argument moot. You're right. I'm a total perv, but we both know you like me that way._

I laughed at that one. Yes, I very much liked her that way. And I liked that she wasn't attempting to play innocent. Own your freaky side, She-Ra. I like it a lot.

_What makes you think I have multiple personalities? Have I not been the same since comment one? Well, beyond the spaz thing, but you know, I was nervous since I was messaging a total stranger. Messaging, not massaging. Get your mind out of the gutter, Cartoon Boy!_

How well she knew me. I could use some massaging right about now. Handcuffs were sexy.

_I'm afraid I'm not looking for a female to show me the moves, so I guess I'll have to wait for you, if that's alright, of course. Then we'll see if I go to all the right places, kill two birds with one stone. Work for you?_

I'd like to show you some moves, lady. More and more with each word you give me.

_So you want something else of mine to play with? You are a dirty boy, aren't you? I have no idea what you want to know, so I'll tell you that I'm a college senior. I'm looking to be a teacher, although the closer I get to graduating and heading to grad school, the further I am from being interested in being one. But, it's a little late to regret that now, isn't it? Got any hot teacher fantasies? That could be me._

Did I have any hot teacher fantasies? Last time I'd checked, I was a red blooded male. And I'd listened to plenty of Van Halen in my time as well. I'd never had any hot teachers though. I'd never had any twenty-two year old teachers either. That might have made a difference.

_I'll also tell you that while my handle is definitely reflective of my love for cheese, it's reflective of something else as well. Can you figure it out? I'll give you more if you do. I showed you mine, now you show me yours._

Hmm, so BluBell22 was more than just cheese and obviously, her age. Blue could be her favorite color. Maybe it was the color of her eyes. God, I hoped not. I thought blue eyes and I thought Irina now. Hers were cold and hard, though. Maybe this girl had nice blue eyes.

Or could Bell be the clue? Maybe she liked bells. No, that was lame. Maybe she was beautiful. Bellisima or Bella? I wouldn't be too upset if that were the case. Well, enough thinking, time to answer her.

**I knew you were too witty and interesting to be illegal, at least I hoped that was the case. I was guessing that you didn't want me to go to jail, because then you couldn't play with me anymore. And we both know you really want to!**

I snickered at that one. She definitely wanted to play with me. At least she'd better.

**I'm 25, so you can save the handcuffs for more interesting reasons than to arrest me. I'd happily assume the position if you asked in the right way (and of course I mean my favorite position, which you're still wondering about I've no doubt).**

Nothing like a little teasing back. She brought up the handcuffs after all. And I was fully hard now at the image of myself cuffed and at her mercy. Shit.

**Clearly I do enjoy you being a perv, now that I know you're allowed to be legally. It's nice not to have to censor myself. You can't imagine how many things I'd love to say that I'm never allowed to.**

Hmm had I said too much there? No, she couldn't possibly know what I was referring to when I said that I had to censor myself. It did feel damn good to be me with her though.

**I like your messaging and I've no doubt I'd like your massaging, were I ever to get the pleasure of your company. I know you don't have multiple personalities, but sometimes it feels like I do. Do you ever feel like the real you is a stranger? Sorry, that was deeper than I meant to go for a random conversation with a new WWF friend. I guess I'm just feeling a bit introspective today.**

I'd more than like her massaging. Why had I said that other shit about being a stranger? She didn't know anything about me. Maybe that was why. It was freeing to tell her stuff that I couldn't tell anybody else.

**Enough of that! So, you'd like me to teach you some yoga? I must admit, the idea of that does have a certain appeal. And I think you're heading to the right places again. How do you manage to do that with only a few words, Cheese Girl?**

Note to self: sign up for a yoga class when you get home. Haha, what a thought that was! Me, in a yoga class. Then again, it might be interesting.

**I'll have you know that hot teacher fantasies are a staple for any hot blooded male in the world. And now I have one, or someone who's soon to be one, on the other end of the iPhone? Yeah, you're definitely going to the right places. Can you combine it with the library fantasy and put your hair up in a bun maybe? And some glasses?**

Oh yeah, the teacher plus the librarian equaled top five fantasy right there. I was definitely going to need to rub one out in the shower now. Again. This could be a problem.

**So BluBell22 has to do with more than just your love for the best cheese in the world? Well, using my master deduction skills, I'd guess that the 22 refers to your age, which we've already established. Do you have blue eyes? Blue hair? Do you like the color blue? It just happens to be my favorite. Or maybe it's the Bell that would give me more. Do you play the bells in the church choir? No, I really can't see that one.**

Hopefully she'd get a kick out of the choir thing.

**Bell. Bells. Bellisima. Bella, which means beautiful. Are you trying to tell me you're beautiful? I think I already suspected that. Am I close in any way? You've stumped me, Blue Cheese Girl. I'm off to lick my wounds and play a little Van Halen. I seem to be in the mood for "Hot for Teacher" for some odd reason! I expect you're impressed by my 60 point word? I'm catching up! Your turn!**

Time to hit the shower or I'd have Garrett knocking on my door while I was sporting more than morning wood. I queued up Hot for Teacher on my phone and headed into the bathroom. May as well add to the experience, right?

Xoxoxoxox

One breakfast and two more interviews later, I was headed to a charity luncheon for Elton John's AIDS charity. Garrett and Kate were more than happy with the way things were going.

"You were great, Edward. Even when they tried to ask those sly questions about what you thought of James, you kept your cool." Kate nodded approvingly.

"It's not my first go-round with the press." Thank God for that. If this happened with the first Steele movie I probably would have said something stupid. But that's what happens when you're eighteen and in the public eye for the first time. Mom had kept close to me for those first couple of years and Garrett, Kate and Marcus had provided me the right guidance. I was very lucky in my team.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket to see if BluBell22 had played again, though she was likely asleep right now. I saw I had a text message from Emmett and opened it.

_Which Kate? Dude, did Kate Beckinsale say hi to me? I know she wants me. Even if she boned you, it was me she was thinking of._

He was so delusional.

_Went to a killer party tonight and met Gianna, that model for Victoria's Secret? She was all over me when she heard my last name. I got you some digits. Don't say I never did anything for you. And if you don't want them, I'll be happy to console her._

Sure he would. I shook my head and messaged him back.

**I didn't bone Kate Beckinsale and neither will you. My Kate says hello, and as usual wonders what kind of trouble you're getting into.**

**You can call Gianna in my stead. Not interested.**

Models, actresses, musicians…they were all the same and all off limits right now. I didn't need the drama or the scrutiny. All I needed was…

"What's that sour look on your face for?" Garrett asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Emmett met some model last night and got her number for me."

"Oooh!" Kate sat forward, looking at me with interest. "Which one?"

"Gianna. I don't know her last name."

Kate shook her head, her blond ponytail swinging. "I clearly keep you too insulated. Gianna doesn't have a last name. She's just Gianna. And she's not a model, she's a super model. Gorgeous. Long black hair, blue eyes…"

"Sounds a lot like Irina. No thank you."

Kate sighed and leaned back against Garrett. "She's way prettier than Irina, but you're right. People would think you were looking for a replacement. Or an upgrade."

"Control your publicist hormones, Kate. You're just going to have to tell non-romantic stories about me."

She grinned. "You mean I can talk about your charity work and your love for animals and stuff? Such a hardship."

I nudged her foot with mine. "Well I could see about getting into a bar brawl or something if you're really bored."

"No thank you! I'm not your brother's publicist, thank God!"

"You've frightened her now. She won't encourage you to date anyone," Garrett told me, laughing at his wife's scowling face.

"Good." I turned back to my phone and saw that she'd played. Read it now or wait until I was alone? Oh, let's be daring.

_It would break my heart if I didn't get to play with you. After all, you've got pretty good taste. You find me witty and interesting, so clearly you've got some decent taste._

I bit back a laugh. I did have pretty good taste, most of the time. Recent relationships notwithstanding, of course. And she was witty and interesting.

_So now you're teasing me with your favorite position but still not giving it up? That's okay. I'll get out the handcuffs and see what I can coax out of you when you're at my mercy. I think you'll submit to my interrogation tactics very quickly._

And you are a true moron, Cullen. Unsexy thoughts, immediately. Grandma's pantyhose. Emmett's back hair. A pretty girl with handcuffs and hands running over my body while I'm unable to touch her back and damn it all to hell. We have liftoff. Please don't let them notice.

I should stop reading. I don't want to stop reading.

_You never need to worry about censoring yourself with me. Be the you that you claim you can't always be and I'll be me and we'll have fun together without judgment. Does that work for you? And you can get deep with me anytime, and in any way you like. See? No judgment!_

Someone not judging me was refreshing, especially when I wanted to get deep. Very deep. Damn it.

_In case you haven't noticed, I'm quite talented with my words, which is why I'm still kicking your ass in the game even with your 60 point word. I do congratulate you, though. If my words are doing good things to your body, well, we'll just consider that my contribution to your yoga regime until you come up here and teach me some. Okay?_

Yoga contribution. Ha. It was torture. Sweet, sexy torture.

_I happen to have a very cute pair of wire-rimmed glasses and long brown hair that is perfect for putting up in a bun. Shall I use a pencil and then pull it out with one tug and let it all fall down while I shake my head in slow motion and a button just happens to come undone on my white see-through blouse? Is that how that fantasy goes? You'll have to refresh my memory._

Oh, yeah, that was exactly how the fantasy went. And now my dick was throbbing in my pants. This was so not good. But it was so very good. Crap. Was that a whimper? Yes, it probably was. I hope they didn't notice. I hope they don't notice the giant hard-on I'm sporting too. I'm so fucked. I wish I was fucked. Ugh.

_Wrong on the eyes and the hair, thank you. I'm 22, not 82 and not Katy Perry. I think blue haired teachers would probably go over well with the students, though, so maybe I should consider it. And yes, that's where the 22 comes from. You got the other part right as well. While I think I'm decent looking, I wouldn't go around declaring myself to be beautiful, but my parents had no such qualms when it came to my name. Got it now, Hercule Poirot? And if you're going to use my name, do I get to use yours? What say you?_

Her eyes weren't blue! Good! Were they green? Brown? And she didn't have blue hair which was a good thing. Katy was nice and all but that wasn't my style. Bella, huh? That was a great name and didn't surprise me at all. She probably was beautiful. Hell, even if she wasn't, she was fun and real unlike most of the women I met.

Should I give her my name? Was that a good or bad idea? There were other Edward's in the world, after all. What was the harm in it? I'd think about it for a bit and get back to her in awhile. I needed to calm down before this charity thing anyway, and responding to her would not alleviate my problem.

Xoxoxoxox

The first thing I did when I got back to my room was open my app to reply to her. Bella. I had a name now. I hated making her wait longer than necessary but I really had to be more careful about where I read her messages. Kate and Garrett were going to get suspicious if I kept running to the bathroom after checking my phone. I hadn't had a moment alone until after the premiere, sadly. But now it was night and I was alone and could give her, and my dick, proper attention.

She'd played queer so I played mean, not that I meant anything by it. I hated getting stuck with a q. Better her than me.

**Well, hello, Bella. It's nice to officially meet you.**

**I do think it's a good thing that I get to know the name of the woman I'm currently playing with. I was never much for nameless hook ups, especially not with beautiful brunettes that let me live the librarian fantasy. I'm not going to lie, that one had me reaching for the lotion. You do go to all the right places, Cheese Girl. Hot damn.**

Well, that started us out with a bang. And while I'd technically been unable to use the lotion earlier, I was going to be using it shortly. To the librarian fantasy. And now I had a name and hair to apply to the sexy librarian. Her eyes were going to be brown in my imagination. Farthest away from blue as I could get.

**And you not only threw the librarian thing at me, but also handcuffs? Do you want to cause me physical pain? What are you going to do to help me relieve it? Nothing but tease me some more, I guess. Good thing I love it.**

I really did. My dick was already hard just imagining the ways she could tease me. Big brown eyes staring up at me while she lapped at my cock, my hands cuffed behind me…hot damn.

**You can interrogate me anytime and I promise that I'll tell you the actual truth. You don't have to torture me, although if you want to, I'm more than willing to endure, provided it's sweet, sexy torture. S &M is a cool song but not my lifestyle choice.**

I didn't want her to think I was into freaky shit. Some kink, sure, but not whips and chains.

**You are very talented with your words, in the game and out of it. It's very rare for a girl to affect me the way that you do, and I truly hope that you are indeed a woman and not some guy playing with me, but I'm going to trust that you are exactly who you say you are, my Bella.**

What was the worst that could come out of taking her at her word? I liked living this little fantasy with her.

Time for the moment of truth, though.

**Thank you for letting me be me. And if I'm going to be me, I guess you should know who I am, huh? Fair is fair. My name is Edward. Your move, Bella. I showed you mine, what are you going to show me next?**

There. She knew my name. I knew hers. This was sort of more real now. I liked it that way. Much as I liked the idea of her in her librarian wear. I reached for the bottle of unscented lotion I'd found at the hotel gift shop. My cock was throbbing and in need of some relief. I squirted some lotion in my right hand and ran it along the length of my dick. It jerked at my touch and that of the cool liquid.

I closed my eyes and pictured Bella before me in that see through blouse, pulling her hair out of the bun, it falling slowly. She wasn't wearing a bra and I could see her perfect, pink nipples through the thin material. I ached to touch her but I couldn't, because she'd handcuffed me first thing. Oh, fuck, that was so good.

I pumped my dick harder as she took off her cute glasses and tossed them to the side before getting to her knees before me. The fact that I was naked and she was fully clothed was pretty damn hot. Then her hot lips were wrapped around my cock and I moaned as she took me into her sexy mouth.

My hand moved in time with her movements in my mind. Her pretty eyes stared up at me as she sucked my cock. She ran her tongue over the tip and I ran my thumb over it before fisting it again as she took me back into her mouth. She squeezed my ass as she bobbed up and down. Fuck, so hot. I couldn't take it and I felt my balls start to tighten. I called her name and erupted in her pretty mouth as she watched me hungrily. She swallowed and then licked her lips.

Holy shit. I hadn't come like that in God knew how long. Thank you, Bella. If you only knew what you did for me. And now I needed another shower and some dinner. I didn't feel like being social tonight, so room service it was. I just wanted to relax and thanks to Bella, I could.

Xoxoxoxox

I woke up sometime in the night, Bella's name on my lips and my dick hard again. Jesus. Maybe I needed to go into sex rehab or something. I shouldn't want her just hours later. I'd nearly had a wet dream. What the hell? Well, the least I could do is reach for my phone and see if she'd replied. And she had!

_Well, it's nice to have a name to go with the words, especially if I'm causing little Edward to stand up and take notice. It's very nice to meet you, Edward. Do you have a preferred brand of lotion? I'd be happy to buy you a bottle. It's the very least I could do._

Little Edward huh? I hope he's not that little. No preferred brand, Bella. I just needed something to deal with my reaction to you.

_I was never one for one nighters myself and the one time that I did, well, let's just say that undoubtedly not-so-little Edward would be laughing at what I encountered. Hmm, was that wrong of me to share with you? It doesn't feel wrong, but you tell me._

Well, at least she had faith that I wasn't small. But who in the hell was she with last? And why did it bother me? That was ridiculous.

_I'm not going to lie, I enjoy teasing you and I know you enjoy it too. But I'd never want to cause you physical pain. How might I help you relieve it? Offer to tutor you after school to help you get your grades, or other things, up?_

_I guess if you're not into S &M then I can't brandish my yard stick at you. How about you brandish yours at me? _

Oh man, that did it again. Who didn't want a hot teacher bending over them to show them how to do a math problem or something, their firm breasts pressing against your back and damn. Hard as a rock. And my yard stick is more than ready for you, Bella.

_I'll keep my torture sweet and sexy. I promise you won't have any complaints._

My only complaint is my constantly hard dick at inappropriate times. At least I was alone now.

_I assure you, Edward, that I am a girl. I'd send you a picture if I could. Maybe someday when we know each other better we could exchange email addresses or something. Not that that would prove anything, I suppose, since I could send you any girl's picture, but I promised you could be real with me and I'll be real with you. The real me is a bit shyer than this me, but I say the things to you that I rarely say to anybody else. So I guess I'm freer with you than anyone else as well. That makes us even, right?_

Pictures? Yeah, I'd love one of her, but how could I possibly ask for one and not give her one in return? No, best to keep it the way we were now. I liked knowing that she was being open with me. I was doing the same and it felt really good, beyond the physical.

_I'm off to see another Edward on the big screen for the night, but I'll be thinking of you when I do. What are you thinking of now? Talk to you tomorrow, I hope._

Holy shit. She was going to my movie. I mean, I assumed it was mine. Norton didn't have anything out now. Neither did Harris. I hoped she liked it. Was she a fan? Was she a stalker? No, she didn't know who I was. She was just going to see my movie. I should be grateful for that. I was grateful for that. I really, really wanted to know what she thought of it. I had to play it cool though.

I was wasting time thinking about her instead of replying. Time to get to it.

**Wow. I bow down to your word usage, Bella. I've been sitting here for a good half an hour trying to figure out just how to respond to you. I'm afraid you've outwitted me in more ways than one! No preferred brand of lotion, I'm afraid. Just unscented. I am a guy after all. I'll leave smelling like a pretty flower to you.**

Damn right, I didn't want to smell like a girl. I wanted to smell this girl. I had problems.

**You can share anything you want to with me. No judging, remember? But I will admit I cringed a little when you mentioned a past conquest. Is it wrong that I was a bit jealous? It probably is, but I feel like you're too special to share. Which is crazy; since you're a college girl with no doubt countless guys after you. Yeah, maybe we shouldn't go there.**

Yeah, I didn't really want to hear about the dude with the small dick, though at least he'd left her unsatisfied. There were probably lots of others after her though. Not a thought that made me happy. Again with the possessiveness. What was wrong with me? It's not like I really knew her or anything. I just wanted to.

**You want to see my yard stick? You think you could handle it? I imagine I could make up for the shortcoming you mentioned, but I don't want to scare you off either!**

This was a much more pleasant topic of conversation. My dick approved too.

**I may not be into S &M yet, but this talk of handcuffs and brandishing yard sticks might change my mind. How is it that you make that sound so insanely hot?**

She really did. I'd never wanted to be restrained but damn if I wouldn't happily let her cuff or tie me. Fuck, the images that gave me. I needed a bigger bottle of lotion than the little travel size I'd grabbed. Well, it'd get me through tonight.

**Bring on the sexy torture, Bella. I'll be your willing prisoner.**

**I can't tell you how much I love that you'll say things to me that you won't say to other people. Your being shy and my being…limited in what I can say, aren't so very different it seems. You can be open with me, Bella, in any and every way.**

Please be open in all the ways. I was such a damn pervert. I couldn't help it though. I loved that she was shy but had such naughty thoughts, thoughts about me. It was hot as hell.

**While I'd love your picture at some point, I'm in no rush. Right now I'm just enjoying getting to know an incredible person that makes me laugh and stimulates my mind and other parts of me equally. I hope I do the same for you.**

There. Bullet successfully dodged. Let's just keep it here for now, beautiful Bella.

Now I had to find a way to get her to talk about my movie without letting on that I wanted to know because I was Edward Cullen. Or that I even knew Edward Cullen had a movie out. It wasn't exactly a guy movie, unless the guy had a girlfriend.

Okay, here we go.

**So, the instant you find out my name, you look for another more exciting Edward to spend your time with? I didn't know Ed Harris had a new flick out. I'll have to look into that. He's an amazing actor. I guess I'll go cry into my pillow while you stare at some better Edward. I hope you come back to me.**

Ha! That worked. I laughed and flipped back to the game. She'd played leech so I played tooth. They went together nicely, just like we seemed to.

Now I needed to go back to sleep. I had a long day tomorrow. I reached for my lotion. I wasn't going to sleep until I took care of my hard cock. Bella and her ruler seemed a good way to go. My hands were going to be soft as a girl's at this rate. Oh well, a man had needs.


	4. Chapter 4

I had problems. I shouldn't be reaching for my phone first thing the minute I woke up but I was. Again. The second day in a row if we were counting. But I really wanted to know what she thought of me and my movie. Talk about instant honest feedback. She didn't know she was talking to me after all, so she'd tell it like it was. Unless of course she told me nothing at all. Not good.

I pulled up my WWF app and there she was. I felt myself smiling already at the sight of her name. And her word. Heart? What did that mean? Did it mean anything? Was I overthinking everything? Yes, I probably was. She'd gotten a triple word score so maybe that's all there was to it.

_I bet you smell incredible. Just a hunch I have. But I'm glad you don't use scented lotion. Some things should not smell flowery, especially manly parts._

Tell me about it, Bella. And it's not always easy finding unscented lotion at the drop of a hat either. I would have found a way to smuggle some in with me if I'd known I was going to need it so badly.

_I love that you were a little jealous when I mentioned an unfortunate incident in my very distant past. Is it okay to admit to you that a friend and I were talking tonight about how ridiculous it would be for me to assume you were sitting at home just waiting to talk to me? It bugged me, even though I knew it was true. She's just trying to get me to go out and live a little. I guess I'm happy in this little bubble. I let you in, though, so I'm not lonely anymore._

Ha, you don't know how close you are to reality. While I'm not at home, I am living for your words. It's kind of ridiculous how attached I am to hearing from you. And yes, jealous as well. I'm a moron.

_Not countless guys, which is a good thing. One annoying pest that won't take a hint, but eventually I'll knock it into his head. How many times do you have to ditch a guy before he goes away? I ask for your expert opinion on this one. And no, I'm not telling you to make you jealous, even though I love that I can. I really want to know._

Well, Bella, even if you're not trying, you're doing a pretty good job of making me jealous anyway. What in the hell is wrong with me? My jaw was actually clenched. Sick, Cullen, you are one sick man.

_I'm pretty sure you could never scare me off, even if you were packing a yard stick. That would just make you more of a challenge, and I'm quite competitive, as you've clearly seen._

A yard stick indeed. Not that scary, sweetheart, but I don't think you'd complain.

_I can promise you'll be the happiest prisoner in the world. I'll keep you well satisfied and you won't even need your manly, unscented lotion anymore. Win all around._

And we have lift off again. I couldn't help it if my mind immediately went to my hands being cuffed behind my back as she tortured me with her lips and tongue. I'd really like to win with Bella.

_You do stimulate me just as much, if not more, than I stimulate you. I was just thinking that I needed to go buy a heavy duty package of batteries to get through our game. I'll pick them up when I get your lotion._

Fuck, that was hot. What little toys do you have, Cheese Girl? I'd really, really like to know. And now I need the lotion again. And your desk, with you bent over in front of it. Please.

_I'm afraid that Ed Harris doesn't have a new movie out that I know of. I went and saw a girly movie. I'm sure it wouldn't be your thing but my friends and I were blown away. And while that Edward was fantastic and yes, quite hot, it was you that I hurried home to talk to. That counts for something, right? I'll always come back to you. Stimulating conversation trumps a pretty face any day, at least for me._

She thinks I'm hot? And it was good? Blown away? I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face at her words. She had no reason to sugar coat it, after all. Hot damn.

And even better than that, she liked real me better than screen me. I didn't even have the words to express how good that made me feel. It had been years since I'd met a girl that didn't know who I was and liked me for who I was. What, since I was sixteen, seventeen maybe? Heart was a good word for her to play, because mine was pounding right about now.

I shook my head and tried to focus. Gotta be on the top of my game to reply back to Bella.

**My manly parts definitely do not smell like flowers, nor does any part of me. I have no idea what I smell like, unless I'm wearing cologne. Perhaps one day, you could tell me?**

Did I mean that? Yeah, I did. What in the hell spell did this girl have me under?

**While I might not be at home waiting to hear from you, I can tell you that you're on my mind an inordinate amount of time during the day and even more at night. And if I were actually at home right now, I think I'd prefer your company to that of most anybody. We can be a little less lonely together. Honestly, I'm traveling a ton right now and you're helping get me through. So thank you for that, Bella.**

Thank you so much more than I can possibly say.

**I really can't say that I know how to get rid of a guy who can't take a hint. I could brag and claim that nobody ever tried to get rid of me, but that would be a lie. I was pretty awkward for awhile there when I was a kid. I knew how to take a hint though. No means no and all that good stuff. Maybe you could wear a t-shirt that says that? Or perhaps I could run him off for you.**

I'd be more than happy to get rid of a jackass who's harassing my girl. Well, not my girl, I guess. My friend. Who happens to be a girl. A girl that I want to have sex with very badly. A girl that I want to talk to every minute of the day. Not good, Cullen.

**I enjoy your competitive streak. No point in playing with someone who can't bring it. And you can play with me, and my yard stick, any time you like.**

Please do, I'm already tired of my hand.

**You can't take away my lotion after you tell me you're running out of batteries. I reached for my bottle the instant I read that. Do you know what a hot image entered my mind? Let's say you were in your best teacher wear and your desk was involved. So you see, I need my lotion, unless you have a better idea.**

Even talking about the fantasy made me harder. Damn it.

Time to poke a little fun at myself.

**A chick flick, huh? What kind of manly actor stars in one of those? Clearly not one that could compete with me. No wonder you ran home to play with me. Now there's a good thought. And now I need my lotion yet again. People are going to start saying I have girl hands with all this moisturizing. I'll blame you for it too.**

My hands really were getting quite soft. Kate and Garrett were already catching me grinning at my phone a little too often; the last thing I needed was for them to know what I was up to in the privacy of my hotel room.

**I'm glad you enjoyed your movie and your hot actor. I'm gladder that you prefer me to him. Gladder? That's a weird word but autocorrect says it's right. Heart, huh? Are you trying to tell me something? I kinda like it. Your move!**

I did like it. And I wished I could return the favor with an equally suggestive, cool word but my letters really sucked. The best I could do was tuna. Nice message from me. Hopefully she wouldn't take it that way.

I had to get my stuff together. We were headed to Paris and the premiere was tonight. Irina, happily, had flown to Paris yesterday so I wasn't stuck on the flight with her. I wasn't looking a gift horse in the mouth. I'd take the peaceful, short flight when I could get it.

Xoxoxoxox

"Edward! Edward! Did you have to learn to ride for this movie or did you already know how?"

That was only the tenth time I'd been asked that question, but I smiled and answered it anyway. "I learned how to ride when I was a kid. I wasn't an expert by any means but I knew the basics. They whipped me into shape pretty quickly for the movie, though."

I shifted my leg away from Irina's hand underneath the table. Damn it. What part of no means no did she not understand? Maybe I should hook her up with whatever guy was annoying Bella. They might be a perfect pair.

She glared at me and turned to face the reporter that had just asked her whether she'd gone through any medical training for her role as the nurse that whipped my character back into shape.

"I have some exciting news." She was looking at me again for some unknown reason. What news? Please do not let her announce that we're back together or something ridiculous that I will have to dispute immediately. "Last night, James and I got married!" She took her left claw away from my knee and held it up as cameras flashed and reporters went nuts all around us.

What? She's groping at me under the table and she married James last night? Good luck, buddy, you're going to need it. What did I look like? I hoped I didn't look upset. I wasn't upset. Surprised, yes. Upset, no. Why the hell didn't someone tell me before I was slapped in front of the cameras? I plastered a smile on my face and tried to act like this wasn't news to me.

"We were walking past a little chapel yesterday and James dropped to his knee and asked me to marry him. We just rushed inside and did the deed." She was all smiles as she dropped her hand back down and placed it on my thigh. What the ever living fuck was wrong with her? She's leaning close to him, smiling and holding his hand and trying to get at my cock? I brushed her hand away and braced myself for the onslaught.

"Edward! What do you have to say about this? You and Irina did date, after all."

And so it begins. I cleared my throat and answered. "All I can say is congratulations. I'm glad that Irina has found happiness. I wish nothing but the best for her and James." Especially James. If she hasn't fucked some bellhop at the hotel before the night is through, we can consider it a win for the happy couple.

The rest of the press conference was a whirl as Irina's wedding took center stage. I couldn't care less, though. I smiled and answered the few questions that came my way and kept my eye on the clock. Finally, it was over and Garrett and Kate descended upon me.

"I can't believe her," Kate hissed, glaring at the back of Irina's head as we made our way out into the hallway to head to the movie theater itself.

"You can't believe her? She was groping me with the hand that was wearing that shiny new ring," I told her.

Garrett shook his head and caught Kate before she could march over to Irina and do, well, something not good. She looked like she was on the warpath. "Just leave it, Katie. She's going to have to deal with her father."

"Did he know?" I asked.

"No. At least I'm pretty sure he didn't. I was standing next to him and he looked positively murderous. So if he knew, he must have told her not to breathe a word of it and she went ahead and did it anyway." He grinned brightly. "So I'd say she's going to get hers, even though I'd love to see my Katie take her down."

"I could. I should. Now I've got to prepare some damn statement about how happy Edward is for that evil, manipulative, slutty…" she broke off at Garrett's raised brow. I just laughed. It was good to have her raging on my behalf. "Oh, well, like Edward said, we'll wish her what she deserves. Everybody knows what she deserves."

I laughed. "Let's just get through the premiere and the damn party. I'm not staying more than an hour." I wanted to go back to my room and see what Bella had to say today. I needed to talk to someone who didn't know what kind of public humiliation I'd just suffered. I knew damn well why Irina had announced it the way she had. She wanted to punish me for not taking her back. I didn't care, but I sure looked pathetic to the outside world. Goal achieved.

"Fair enough," Garrett agreed. "As long as you make an appearance and pretend to be happy, it's all good." It better be.

Xoxoxoxox

I didn't even wait until I'd kicked off my shoes to open my Words app. It'd been a long day without her to make me smile. And I certainly needed to smile now.

Loafs? Well, put the tuna on the bread, Bella. I hurried to open the window that kept her words from me.

_I give you my heart, you give me tuna. Are you trying to tell me something? That I'm fishy? That I smell? Now I'm the one who's insulted!_

I laughed as I dropped down on the bed. You definitely don't smell, Bella. At least I hope not. And I'd really like to give you more than tuna.

_I'd love to tell you what you smell like, and I'm willing to bet it isn't tuna. Yes, I am still offended. But I'll forgive you, because I'm full of heart, just like my word._

I hope you are full of heart, Bella. I could use some today.

_I'm more than happy to help take away your loneliness, Edward. Do you travel a lot? Is it for work or pleasure? I'm very glad I'm not alone in having thoughts throughout the day, and yes, especially at night. Hence the battery shortage. In all seriousness, I prefer your company to most everybody else's as well. You, as they say, get me. And vice versa. Plus, you're sexy, or at least your words are. For an English major, you can't get much better than that!_

The only thing pleasurable about this trip is you, Bella. She thinks my words are sexy! I felt myself smiling at that. As if mine could remotely compare to hers. Figures that she's an English major. She's too talented with those words of hers to be anything else.

_A no means no t-shirt? I don't think that would get through to him. You most certainly would though. And that's the second time you've referenced being in the same vicinity as me, or me and my stalker. Are you traveling to Washington anytime soon?_

I wish that I was. Surprisingly, I really wish that I was. But then the fun ends and I become Edward Cullen, actor, and everything changes. I wish it wouldn't change, but how could it not?

_I can play with you anytime I like? That would cut my battery spending costs. That could only be good for the environment, so I'm going to say that we'll be playing quite a lot. Is that alright with you?_

Haha, do you really need to ask that question, Bella? I'd play with you all day and all night. Happily.

_A desk you say? And hot teacher wear? That would be the see-through blouse and tight skirt, right? Would I accidentally drop my chalk and bend down to pick it up right in front of you, driving you mad with lust and forcing you to bend me over the desk and have your wicked way with me? How's your lotion supply doing now? I really hope you're able to stock up while traveling. They don't allow big bottles on the plane. Be careful!_

Fuck me. She did it. I honestly thought I would get through this conversation without sporting a raging hard on but she had to go and tap right into the teacher fantasy as if she was inside my head. Damn it, I needed more lotion.

_I'm sure your hands are quite manly, even if they're well moisturized. I'd be more than willing to check them out for myself and let you know. It's all in your best interest, of course. The actor was plenty manly but you hold a certain appeal that I just can't resist. Playing with you brings me pleasure. Playing with you would probably bring me more, if you get my drift._

I moaned. I actually moaned at her words. See, I'd been missing out on the sexiness that was Bella all day long while I'd been stuck with the harpy and her idiot husband. My hands are all yours, Bella.

_Crazy though it may be, I do prefer you to just about anyone but my best friends, and then it depends what kind of mood they're in. I'm glad that you're glad I prefer you. What do you prefer?_

You, Bella. I always prefer you. Never doubt that.

My turn. My head hurt and my dick was hard but I needed to send her a message before I dealt with anything else.

**Of course I don't think you're fishy or that you smell like tuna. I'm sure you smell very good. I'll tell you what you smell like when you tell me what I smell like, deal? My letters sucked and I had to play what I had to play. I'd much rather have given you something that was worthy of your heart. Maybe I can make it up to you at some point?**

Just tell me how, Bella.

**I do travel a lot. Mostly for work, but sometimes for pleasure. Generally always alone, or with people who are paid to be with me so it doesn't really count as companionship. Have you ever been anywhere outside of Washington? I admit, one of the perks of my job is that I get to go to many interesting places, but I rarely get to truly enjoy them. I don't get much down time either. Oh well, I can't really complain.**

Well, I could, but what good would it do?

**If my words are sexy, yours are beyond that. I'd call them downright stimulating. You keep taunting me with those batteries. I admit, a large (pun intended) part of me wants to know exactly what you're using them in, but my imagination goes to all sorts of good places so you don't have to tell me if you don't want to.**

But go ahead and tell me if you like. Don't make me beg.

**I can't say that Washington is in my itinerary for this trip, but with a little time and a lot of incentive, I could be persuaded to see that my next trip for pleasure leads me to head north. Would it be a trip for pleasure, Bella?**

That might be the dumbest question I've ever asked. Being with Bella would be pure pleasure; I had no doubt of that. Maybe one day I could tell her who I was and maybe we could meet.

**I'm a real fan of saving the environment, but I'd hate to see those batteries stop being used. I have a very pleasant, okay, hot, mental image of just what you do with them. Perhaps you should show your toy to your stalker and tell him you don't need him. No, wait a minute, don't do that. That's for my eyes only.**

Yeah, it is. Stalker wouldn't go away if she showed him her toy. I know I wouldn't.

**Fresh out of lotion after the mental images you shot at me this go-round. It's a good thing hotels supply them. I'll have to call room service and smell not-manly for the night. Bending over in front of me to pick up your chalk? You are a naughty teacher, Bella. Very naughty. And I'd love to bend you over your desk and punish you for taunting me so. I can promise, much like your torture, my punishment would be sweet and leave you wanting more.**

A perfect, round ass filled my mind and I felt my palm twitch at the thought of spanking it lightly before sliding inside her hot, wet pussy. Damn. Girly lotion in the bathroom it was.

**I'll be happy to let you check out my hands and let me know if they're still manly or not. I think it would require a lot of touching, just so you could be sure to give me an accurate report. Would that be alright with you?**

Let me explore your body, Bella. We'll both enjoy it a lot.

**I very much prefer you, Bella. You've been the highlight of this week by far. I hope you will continue to be even after this game is over. For now I bid you adieu. It's late here and even though my body hasn't adjusted to the time, I should sleep. After I get that new bottle of lotion. Your turn.**

Aspirin, a shower, an orgasm and sleep were on my menu. Hopefully Bella would have something stimulating for me in the morning. I played zag for 20 points and got off the bed. The sooner I got rid of this hard on, the sooner I could sleep.

Xoxoxoxox

I couldn't sleep. I was tossing and turning and imagining headlines laughing at me over Irina marrying James. Those were the bad thoughts. I was also having thoughts of Bella that were a lot more pleasant but harder to ignore. Physically harder to ignore. I had problems.

I grabbed my phone to see if she'd played. At least I could jerk off to her words and try to sleep again. Oh yeah, I had messages but she hadn't played her word yet. Was she there?

_I'd say we better have a deal, Cartoon boy. All that taunting about touching me and smelling me better have some damn payoff. I need a cold shower after your message. Well, I need a lot more than that, but that's all I can have at the moment. When might you come up north?_

Just imagining her in the shower and yeah, I was hard again.

_I can't say that I've been anywhere overly interesting. Florida, Arizona. Cancun was kinda fun. I went with my two best friends a couple years ago. Can I admit that the thought of you being stuck in some hotel room, alone, makes me kind of sad? I know you're probably used to it but I wish I could be there with you to make it more fun. Take that however you want._

Don't be sad for me, Bella. You make it a lot better.

_Still taunting me with your yard sick, aren't you? That's okay, I'll get my revenge by taunting you with my toys. Every girl has to have their trusty rabbit, of course, but my favorite is this little blue car with two bullets. I'll let you wonder about where they go, but let me say that when you turn those wheels, they can make you see stars. Well, me see stars. You'd just see one very excited girl. Which I imagine would be okay with you. If you want to know more than that, such as size and dimensions, you'll have to share your own first._

Car, what car? I wanted to concentrate on her words but was she on right now?

_Your trip to Washington would be nothing but pleasure, provided it included me of course. If you're just coming to see the Space Needle, well, I'm not sure how much fun that would be. It's a great state that has a lot to offer, not the least of which is me. So you tell me, would you find that pleasurable?_

Yes. Are you there, Bella? What do I do if you are? Do you want to talk? That's much better than sleep.

_I won't show my stalker my toys. Nobody has ever seen them actually, though I'd be willing to let you, with the right incentive. Showing him would encourage whatever ridiculous daydreams he has about me. I'd rather encourage yours and hear all about them. What kind of punishment did you have in mind?_

Was that the end?

_I'm willing to do a very thorough study of your hands to be sure they qualify as manly. You'll probably have to touch every inch of me in order for me to be sure. Would that work for you? I wouldn't want to mislead you and then have someone accuse you of having girly hands, after all. A few hours, or days, and I could probably come to a reasonable conclusion._

No! She was up! Alright then. I was going to do it. I was going to ask if she wanted to chat with me. There was no harm in it.

_I wish I could help you sleep. Being in a strange bed is never easy, especially when you're alone._

Not alone, not right now. Ask her idiot. Move fingers.

_You've been a real highlight of my week as well and I just want you to know that no matter what, I'm happy I've gotten to spend this time with you. It means more to me than I can even say._

Crap, I better not have waited too long.

**Bella, are you still there?**

I held my breath and waited to see if she would reply. I'd kick my own ass if I'd missed the chance to talk to her live.

_Yeah, I'm here. Shouldn't you be dreaming about me right now?_

I was and I ached for you. So here I am.

**I couldn't sleep. Decided to see if you'd replied and for once, my timing seems to be perfect. Wanna talk for awhile?**

Please say yes.

_Of course. On here or?_

Here would be too slow. I could talk to her on the computer. I still had Skeletor17 as messenger for friends and family.

**Do you have yahoo messenger?**

I could always download another application if I had to. I got out of bed and grabbed my computer.

_Yes, same name there._

**Me too. See you on there in a few minutes? I need to turn on my laptop.**

Boot bastard. I needed a new computer. This thing was entirely too slow.

_Me too. Talk to you in a few, Edward._

**I look forward to it, Bella. More than I can possibly say.**

We were going to talk live! I couldn't wait.


	5. Chapter 5

It seemed to take eons but finally my computer loaded and I logged into Yahoo messenger. I sent a friend request for Bella and waited. There she was with a cat icon. Okay. Now that I had her here, what did I say? Start with hello.

**Skeletor17: Hi, Bella. It's good to finally meet you, so to speak.**

_BlueBel22: Hi, Edward. It's good to meet you too. It seems like we've been talking for ages, instead of just a few days._

She felt that way too? I loved that.

**Skeletor17: True, but I figure I've done about a year's worth of thinking about you since you popped up on my iPhone.**

_BlueBel22: I know exactly what you mean. I'm afraid you're far more interesting than my studies._

I'd better be!

**Skeletor17: LOL, I should hope so! I mean, I get the impression you're not exactly a nerd that's holed up studying every minute of the day because she likes it.**

_BlueBel22: Hahah, I can be nerdy, but I do get out now and then. This year my classes are kind of a pain in the ass anyway and I'm really just anxious for it to be over. Who wants to study Feminist Lit anyway?_

Not me, that was for sure. I knew she wasn't nerdy. I bet everybody wants to hang out with her.

**Skeletor17: Not me! I think I have the wrong anatomy for that class. Is it filled with militant man-haters like those girls in PCU? Is college at all like PCU? Stay away from flying Bees, Bella.**

Hopefully she got the PCU reference. I forgot there were people out there that didn't devour movies the way that I did.

_BlueBel22: You can see the occasional Frisbee flying through the quad but they're few and far between. And we certainly don't have any awesome tournaments wherein we get high and just laugh at the Bee. There are no meat tossers either, sad to say. I'd love to get in on that! Nobody militant in my class, unless they're keeping it under wraps. Why don't you come in and we'll test the theory?_

She knew it! Of course she did. Bella had great taste, which we'd already established. A shame about the meat tossers though.

**Skeletor17: You're willing to risk me like that, Bella? I'm wounded. You'd take me to class and just wait and see if man-haters came out of the woodwork? I thought I meant more to you than that.**

Let's see what she has to say to that.

_BlueBel22: Don't be that guy, Edward._

Ahhh my favorite line.

**Skeletor17: I'm not wearing the t-shirt of the band I'm going to see, Bella. I'm talking about my physical well-being. How are you going to risk the yard stick like that?**

Did I really go there? Yes, yes I did. Well, what could I say? My dick was always involved when she was around.

_BlueBel22: I would never risk your yard stick, Edward. Not before I got my hands and other things on it, at least._

Fuck, this girl was going to kill me. But what a way to go.

**Skeletor17: Other things? Such as?**

Let's see just how far you'll go, Bella.

_BlueBel22: Whatever you'll let me put on it, of course. A bell, to remind you of me and to inform me of when certain things arise? A bow, for me to unwrap like a present?_

A bell? Yeah, I was laughing again. How did she do that? Though she could absolutely unwrap me anytime.

**Skeletor17: This is not going to help me get to sleep, just so you know. A bell! That would definitely bring you to mind, but I'm afraid that it would be ringing all the time, because when you're on my mind, the yard stick grows.**

Truer words were never spoken, or written, in this case.

_BlueBel22: It better not grow longer than a yard, or we'll need the Liberty Bell. And that's really quite scary. You'd get nothing more than my hands if that were the case, which would be a complete travesty._

The Liberty Bell? Where did she come up with this stuff? I absolutely loved it. And while I wanted her hands, I wanted so much more than that.

**Skeletor17: Ha! While I'm not exactly lacking in that department, I'm not Ron Jeremy either. You're quite safe in my hands, I assure you.**

_BlueBel22: I'm glad to hear that. And, um, I hope you're not like Ron Jeremy in any way. No offense to him but…yuck. I'm just saying. Now about those super smooth hands of yours…_

Her fascination with my hands continued to amuse me, and arouse me for that matter. And she knew what Ron Jeremy looked like? Who was this girl?

**Skeletor17: Bella, my not-so-sweet girl, just what have you been watching that you know who Ron Jeremy is and what he looks like? I can assure you, I don't resemble him in any way. I think I'm in the right industry, though that one could be quite lucrative.**

**What about my hands?**

_BlueBel22: Why, Edward, are you trying to inquire as to my porn knowledge? While I wouldn't call it extensive, I would say that I've sampled a bit here and there. I prefer the ones that attempt to have acting. Laughter is probably not the reaction that you expect when watching porn but my friends and I find it freeing. And, you never know what you may learn._

_I was just wondering if your hands were well moisturized tonight?_

She watched porn, with her friends. That was hot. And I was going to have to add that to the fantasy highlight reel.

Oh Bella, if you only knew how well moisturized I really was.

**Skeletor17: Yes, Bella, I was wondering about your porn knowledge. I can't help it, I'm a guy. And the image of you and your friends gathered around watching porn has the bell ringing, if you get my drift. Laughing or not, that is hot.**

**My hands are quite soft at the moment, unlike other parts of me. Thank you for your concern.**

Ha, that line kind of rocked. And it was entirely too true. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

_BlueBel22: Just looking out for what could be mine. A girl has to sample the merchandise before she purchases it you know._

_So, the bell is ringing? Would you like me to answer it?_

Uh, the answer to that would be yes. Sample away.

**Skeletor17: More than I can possibly say, Bella. Just how would you like to sample my hands? Where do you want them?**

I could think of a good dozen places or so they'd like to go.

_BlueBel22: I don't believe in setting limits, Edward. I'd take them wherever I could get them._

No limit? That wasn't a bad thing at all.

**Skeletor17: Limitless, Bella? That could get a girl like you into some trouble.**

_BlueBel22: Oh, I have my limits, Edward; I just don't see you pushing them. If you did, I'd make damn sure to let you know. But I don't think your hands would do anything I'd find objectionable._

I can promise you, you wouldn't complain at all if I had my hands on you.

**Skeletor17: Well, now I'm intrigued. What might those limits be? I can assure you, my hands will be on their best behavior.**

_BlueBel22: No, no! Don't you make those hands of yours behave. I'll let them know if they're ever out of line._

_My limits aren't that strange really. I like one on one. I skipped that day in kindergarten when they taught sharing._

So you want my hands to be naughty? I can definitely comply. And I can't tell you how glad I am that you don't want to share.

**Skeletor17: What a coincidence! I missed that day as well. You'd think I was an only child the way I refuse to share.**

**My hands are more than willing to explore you and your limits, Bella.**

_BlueBel22: Well, it's nice we have that in common, then, isn't it? My ex had an issue on that whole sharing front and, well, we don't need to talk about that right now._

_Your hands, and the rest of you, are welcome in Washington anytime you'd like to test them._

So we had more than that in common. Who would cheat on her? She was incredible.

Another invite to Washington. You tempt me, Bella. You very much tempt me.

**Skeletor17: We can discuss anything you like. And you're not alone on the ex and sharing front. Mine did the same thing. So we have another thing in common, albeit a far less fun one than the others.**

**I love how hospitable you are, Bella. Such a warm welcome.**

_BlueBel22: I think my welcome to you would be much more on the hot than the warm side, you know what I mean?_

_Sorry you've been through it, too. It's really a blow to the ego, isn't it?_

The ego and the reputation, in my case. And I have no doubt your welcome would be immeasurably hot.

**Skeletor17: I have no doubt your welcome would be quite hot, Bella. I can assure you, I've given your welcome A LOT of thought. Hence the lotion shortage in the greater Paris area. The good people of France will be happy that I'm leaving today, I imagine.**

**Yes, it's a blow to the ego and the wrong kind of blow entirely. I can't say that I was heartbroken when it ended, but it was embarrassing, you know?**

_BlueBel22: Seriously, you're in Paris and you're messaging me at 5 AM? I'm flattered!_

_I know exactly what you mean. I was a little heartbroken, since I thought I loved the guy and I wasted two years of my life on him, but I was definitely more embarrassed. Having to endure this year with everybody knowing has been, well, shitty. You've been a breath of fresh air, although I just tainted it by talking about him. Sorry about that._

Was it 5? Yes, it was 5. Well, she was better than sleep any day.

We certainly had something powerful in common, didn't we?

**Skeletor17: I couldn't sleep and you were on my mind. I decided to see if you'd played and when I saw the messages popping up, I had to say hi. Best decision I've made in ages if I do say so myself.**

**Two years? I only wasted six months and I thought it was well behind me but then she managed to slap me in the face again today. Publicly. I couldn't give a damn about her but I'm not sure why she hates me so much that she wanted to humiliate me.**

Had I said too much? No, there was no reason for her to connect me to Edward Cullen.

Why wasn't she responding? Had I scared her away with talk of the evil ex? Figured that Irina would fuck up the one good thing I had going on this damn trip.

**Bella? Are you there? I didn't scare you away, did I?**

Please tell me I didn't.

_BlueBel22: I'm here, sorry. I was just thinking that any girl that would be stupid enough to not only walk away from you, but to humiliate you publicly, is really too stupid to live. Should I come to Paris and take care of her for you?_

I chuckled at the thought. I may not know what Bella looked like but I bet she was more a fighter than Irina was. She'd be too afraid of chipping a nail. Why in the hell had I dated her? Oh yeah, because she put on a great fake personality.

**Skeletor17: I'm leaving Paris behind in a few hours and her behind in a week. I think I can make it that long, with a little help from a friend. Will you get me through? Not that I don't love the idea of you taking care of her, but I'd rather you take care of me.**

That was another good one. And all too true. Irina wasn't worthy of our attention. Our time was better spent elsewhere.

_BlueBel22: I'd much rather take care of you than some stupid female that didn't know how good she had it. What kind of care do you desire?_

The naked kind, preferably.

**Skeletor17: Well, I've been really tense all day, so I could definitely use a rub down. What do you say, Bella? Can I experience your hands when you experience mine?**

It was only fair. She got mine, I got hers. And I badly wanted her hands to be rubbing me. Maybe not my shoulders, but if that's where she wanted to go I wouldn't complain either.

_BlueBel22: I give very good massage, Edward. I think it's only fair that I return the favor and explore you thoroughly after you explore me. You taunted me with your hands so I get to experience them first though! Do you have any limits I should know about before I do?_

For you? No, I don't think so.

**Skeletor17: I'm sure you have very good hands, Bella, and I very much look forward to making their acquaintance. After, of course, you meet mine. No limits that I can think of, so long as you aren't getting your ideas from fetish porn or something. I do draw the line at furry costumes and uh, other things.**

You never knew what kind of freaks were out there. My brother had brought home this girl who liked to do unspeakable things with the utensils. I think that was one of the reasons he'd moved in with me. He'd better never bring home one like that to my place though, or I'd kick his ass and have to move.

Where was she? Had she fallen asleep? It was what, 11ish there now?

**Skeletor17: Bella? Are you there? I'm the one that should be falling asleep at this hour, not you.**

_BlueBel22: Sorry, my crazy roommate came in to deliver dinner. When she heard I was talking to you, she tried to sneak a peek._

_No fetish porn, I promise. Just the crappily acted storylines, like Vampire Sex Diaries and The Trial._

Vampire Sex Diaries? They'd make anything in the porn world, wouldn't they? I had no doubt that my Steele movies had been parodied to high heaven, then again, how hard did you have to try with a title like _Hard as Steele?_

More importantly, she'd told her roommate about me? What had she said?

**Skeletor17: Your roommate knows about me? What have you told her?**

**I can't say that I've seen either of those movies. Clearly I must rectify this so that we're on the same porn plane.**

_BlueBel22: Porn Plane sounds like a good movie title. I wonder if they have that one? But I imagine you're probably more advanced in the porn world than I am. Just a hunch._

Probably true. Emmett had a vast collection and occasionally I got bored. Or horny. Or both.

_My roommate knows I've been talking to a cool guy on WWF. Now she knows I'm talking to you via IM and she's insanely curious._

I liked that she knew about me. But I didn't want to share her right now.

**Skeletor17: Curiosity killed the cat, and since you're rocking a kitten avi, we can't have that now, can we? Just tell her you're all mine right now.**

**So you think I'm some kind of porn deviant now? I'll have you know that I haven't watched porn in at least a year.**

Alright, maybe a little less than that. But it hadn't been recently. The sex embargo even went to porn watching. I didn't need the temptation. Well, now I had it in spades.

_BlueBel22: Not even in your lonely hotel rooms? Whatever do you do while you're stuck in there?_

Ha, there was another headline. Edward Cullen Secret Porn Freak, Orders Dirty Movies in Hotels. I could imagine Kate's face if something like that occurred. Oh God, and my mother's. No thank you.

_I told her I'm all yours and frankly, I really like the sound of that._

Me too, Bella. Mine all mine.

**Skeletor17: I very much like the sound of that as well.**

**Usually I read, watch regular TV or surf the net, and no, not for porn. But just lately I've taken up daydreaming about teachers and librarians. It's far more interesting than French TV, let me tell you.**

More interesting and more stimulating and a hell of a lot more uncomfortable, but also much more fun.

_BlueBel22: Just daydreaming? Don't tell me you've been lying about the lotion shortage. My care package to you was already loaded with it. Manly, unscented lotion._

Care package? She's too damn cute.

**Skeletor17: No, not just daydreaming. I assure you, the lotion shortage is real. It's a Code Red kind of situation. But don't you spend your book money on my lotion. I can assure you that I'll get some more when I arrive in Germany.**

I'd need to remember to do that. I didn't want any more girly lotion.

_BlueBel22: So now you're going to cause a shortage in Germany? All of Europe will be chapped and unmoisturized at this rate! What can I do to help?_

She killed me. Chapped and unmoisturized Germans. That would be very sad, and funny.

**Skeletor17: Well, you could stop being so damn sexy and appealing, but I really don't want that. I won't be there too long. They can get more.**

_BlueBel22: I'm afraid it's impossible for me to stop being either of those things, especially when I'm talking to you. You bring out my naughty side._

I very much like your naughty side. Let's not change that.

**Skeletor17: And I'm very glad that I do. All teasing aside, I have a very good time talking to you, Bella. I can't think of anything I've enjoyed more in a long time.**

I really wanted her to know that, too. She was very cool and I was thrilled to have met her.

_BlueBel22: I have to agree with you there, Edward. I'm very glad I found you._

That raised a question I'd been meaning to ask her. No time like the present.

 **Skeletor17: As am I. Were you just looking for cartoon characters or did you get assigned a random game with me?**.

_BlueBel22: A lucky guess. You know of my He-Man love. Skeletor seemed a good place to start. I hope that's okay with you._

Of course it was okay with me. Maybe it was just one of those things. Kismet. Fate. I couldn't be sorry about that.

**Skeletor17: More than okay, Bella. You know that. Must have been fate.**

_BlueBel22: You can't fight fate._

I'm not going to. But I did need to try to sleep for a bit before my flight to Germany. Damn it, why was she so far away?

**Skeletor17: I don't want to. One thing I seem to be having a hard time fighting right now is jet lag. I think I better catch some sleep before they drag me onto another plane. I hate to leave you though.**

_BlueBel22: You need your rest. We'll talk again, soon I hope._

As soon as I can swing it. And maybe we could talk more in some other way.

**Skeletor17: Very soon. I don't know if I'll be able to meet you on chat again while I'm on this trip but I'll be back in California in a week. We'll be in the same time zone which would make chatting a lot more convenient. Does that work for you? In the meantime, we'll have Words with Friends and, well, we can email if you want. You have my address now.**

Was that too forward? No, not for Bella. She wanted to talk to me as much as I wanted to talk to her, or it seemed that way.

_BlueBel22: The same time zone will be a very good thing, I think. We can definitely email and play Words until then. And, if you should have trouble sleeping, send me an email and I'll meet you right back here. Okay?_

She would? That was incredibly kind of her. I liked this girl, a lot.

**Skeletor17: What did I do to deserve you? Thank you for tonight, Bella. You made my night/morning a hell of a lot better than I possibly thought it could be. You made me smile and you made me feel good.**

It was hard to believe that yesterday had been such a nightmare.

_BlueBel22: How good?_

Too good, Bella. But I do need to sleep. You're killing me.

**Skeletor17: Watch it! Not every part of me is as tired as my brain is and I really do need some sleep.**

_BlueBel22: Okay, I'll behave. Sorry about that. Sweet dreams, Edward._

Damn the time difference.

**Skeletor17: Only behave for now, Bella. When we're in the same time zone, you can be as naughty as you want to be and I'll keep right up with you. My dreams will be very sweet, now. Goodnight, Bella.**

_BlueBel22: Goodnight, Edward._

I logged out and shut down my laptop, setting it on the table next to me and sliding back down in the bed. Today was already looking miles better than yesterday. I don't know what it is about her but she just gets me. Hopefully I can talk to her really soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Another morning, another raging case of morning wood. Were my dreams really that good? I couldn't remember them, but I woke up with her on my mind. Bella. Because I'd been so anxious to chat with her, I hadn't really focused much on her Words message, so I pulled that up. I was already raring to go anyway.

_I'd say we better have a deal, Cartoon boy. All that taunting about touching me and smelling me better have some damn payoff. I need a cold shower after your message. Well, I need a lot more than that, but that's all I can have at the moment. When might you come up north?_

_I can't say that I've been anywhere overly interesting. Florida, Arizona. Cancun was kinda fun. I went with my two best friends a couple years ago. Can I admit that the thought of you being stuck in some hotel room, alone, makes me kind of sad? I know you're probably used to it but I wish I could be there with you to make it more fun. Take that however you want._

_Still taunting me with your yard sick, aren't you? That's okay, I'll get my revenge by taunting you with my toys. Every girl has to have their trusty rabbit, of course, but my favorite is this little blue car with two bullets. I'll let you wonder about where they go, but let me say that when you turn those wheels, they can make you see stars. Well, me see stars. You'd just see one very excited girl. Which I imagine would be okay with you. If you want to know more than that, such as size and dimensions, you'll have to share your own first._

_Your trip to Washington would be nothing but pleasure, provided it included me of course. If you're just coming to see the Space Needle, well, I'm not sure how much fun that would be. It's a great state that has a lot to offer, not the least of which is me. So you tell me, would you find that pleasurable?_

_I won't show my stalker my toys. Nobody has ever seen them actually, though I'd be willing to let you, with the right incentive. Showing him would encourage whatever ridiculous daydreams he has about me. I'd rather encourage yours and hear all about them. What kind of punishment did you have in mind?_

_I'm willing to do a very thorough study of your hands to be sure they qualify as manly. You'll probably have to touch every inch of me in order for me to be sure. Would that work for you? I wouldn't want to mislead you and then have someone accuse you of having girly hands, after all. A few hours, or days, and I could probably come to a reasonable conclusion._

_I wish I could help you sleep. Being in a strange bed is never easy, especially when you're alone._

_You've been a real highlight of my week as well and I just want you to know that no matter what, I'm happy I've gotten to spend this time with you. It means more to me than I can even say._

Yes, that was a groan escaping my lips. The little blue car intrigued me. I needed to look that up pronto. Of course, nothing intrigued me more than Bella. Did she really want to know what punishment I wanted to give her? I could give it to her in major detail if she wanted. The vivid image of a tight ass bent over a desk and me hiking up a black skirt and spanking her lightly had gotten me off more than once already. So yes, Bella. My hands very much want to become acquainted with you.

Right, respond now, then get a shower and take care of this raging hard on. I had major problems. Maybe I should find a shrink when I got back to LA. I should not be this susceptible for a few sexy words from a stranger.

**You need a cold shower? Somehow I think you can manage to walk around without everybody knowing just how turned on I've made you, while there's visual evidence as to my issues. And if people can see yours, well, you might want to get that checked out, just saying. Or are you lying to me about being a girl? I hate to think I've been talking to Bill instead of Bella.**

And that, right there, could make my dick go limp in only a matter of seconds. She better not be a he. What a crushing blow that would be.

**Don't be sad for me, Bella. My life is generally pretty good, and I've found much better ways of passing that alone time lately. You know just what those are. And your virtual company is better than most people's actual company.**

Trust me on that one, Bella. I'm in the company of some of the most famous people in the world and they don't hold a candle to you when it comes to witty conversation and of course, turning me on.

**Did you know that I really, really like fast cars? I may have a few, but none of them sound nearly as interesting as the little blue car you mentioned. I really think I need to know more about it. Perhaps you could show it to me, sometime? You know, speaking purely as a car aficionado and not a perverted man that got hard as a rock at the mental image of what those wheels must do to you. I think my internet car searches are about to get a lot more interesting.**

Would I have time to look it up before we had to take off to head to Germany? Yes, I just might. Good. My computer could boot up while I was jerking it in the shower to the image of long, sexy legs spread wide with two little blue bullets making her writhe and scream in pleasure. Fuck. That was a good one.

**If/when I come to Washington, I don't feel the need to sight see, unless it's with you. We both know the only reason I'd be there would be to see my favorite soon-to-be teacher. Speaking of that, why were all of my teachers old and wrinkly? I never had a hot twenty-something. I feel severely gypped by my education. You're just going to have to school me to make up for it.**

It really wasn't fair that I'd never had a hot teacher. That could have gotten me through some very boring classes.

More mentions of seeing her. Would I? Could I? That would require a lot more talking and a lot of revealing who in the hell I really am. She'd probably laugh and think I was lying if I told her I was the actor she'd gone to see on the big screen the other day. Maybe I could reveal it on webcam when I was ready. There'd be no denying I was me then. Whatever. I was a long way from dealing with that. What we had now was damn good in my eyes.

**I can't tell you about your punishment, for then you'll have time to prepare. I can only say that you'll enjoy it thoroughly and it'll involve my hands, which you seem to be quite fond of already.**

Hands on soft white cheeks…so good.

**Days of hand exploration? I guess I better free up some real time when I do visit, as I would hate to disappoint you.**

Somehow I didn't think a couple of hours with Bella would suffice. I had lots of things I wanted to do with her, if we ever got to that point.

**Thank you for your sweet, and stimulating, words. If you're not getting an A in all your classes, your teachers are fools. You get an A from me, any day. I can't wait to talk to you again. Your turn.**

I played lief, which surprisingly worked, and closed my app before hauling myself out of bed, turning on my computer along the way. I had a dick to relieve and a flight to get ready for.

Xoxoxoxox

My phone was ringing when I stepped out of the shower and I ran to grab it, still dripping wet.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Edward. The car will be here in thirty minutes. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, Garrett, I just need to get dressed."

"Okay. I won't tell Kate that I'm talking to you while you're naked." I laughed when I heard her shriek in the background. "No, you can't talk to him. You elected not to leave me for him. Now you're stuck."

I laughed and started toweling off. "Tell her if she shows up in the next minute, I'm all hers."

"Humph. I won't do that, thank you. I like my wife."

I pulled on my boxers. "I do, too. That was the point of the offer."

"I'm hanging up on you now." I laughed as he clicked off and finished getting dressed and packing before I grabbed my computer.

"Let's see. Little blue bullet car." I typed that in and got something about a Mitsubishi Eclipse and a Bonneville. Bonneville? What the hell? That wasn't little.

"Let's try this again. Little blue bullet car sex toy." That should be specific enough. Well, that was better. Though I wasn't looking for a blue dolphin sex toy. Dolphin? Really? I liked dolphins but it was kind of weird to make a sex toy of them.

Videos of little car bullet sex toy? Yes please! I couldn't see shit, since they were all grainy, so I clicked the first one and got…what the hell was that? Blue haired bitch riding cock ginger? Um…yeah, the last thing I needed was a virus brought on by random porn videos.

Lots of bullets you could use in a car, which was a fun thought but not what I was looking for. Damn. I'd have to look more later. I had just enough time to email her before I left. Should I? I really wanted to leave her a message to let her know how much I'd enjoyed talking to her. I was tired as hell but she was worth it. Yeah, what was the harm in it? She'd mentioned exchanging emails before I had after all.

I opened yahoo and pulled up a new email to BluBell22.

**Bella,**

**Good morning, sleepyhead. Actually, I'm the sleepyhead. Three hours of sleep does not a happy man make, usually, but I was in a very good mood this morning thanks to my early morning chat with a lovely co-ed. I can't tell you enough how good it was to talk to you. This trip has been more of a nuisance than I thought it'd be but you've brightened it considerably.**

**I hope you don't mind me emailing you. I know we mentioned it but I don't want you to think I'm intrusive or annoying and I certainly don't want you to get tired of me.**

**I don't have long to talk but I just wanted to let you know that I was thinking of you and that I'm very glad that fate stepped in and brought you into my life. I really wish this plane was heading to Washington. Maybe someday?**

It was like my damn subconscious was making me write things like that. I knew better, but I kept on saying it.

**You have a good day and hopefully I'll talk to you soon. Oh, I left you some responses over on Words as well. I really should have read your responses last night but then I wouldn't have gotten those few hours either. You do know how to get a man going, don't you? At least this one! And once again the bell is ringing and I have to get in a crowded airplane. Terrible timing. You are trouble, but the best kind.**

**Looking forward to your words,**

**Edward**

That should do it. Maybe I'd stretched the truth about being hard at this moment, but her words had made me hard before my shower, and it counted. I shut off my laptop and slid it into my bag. Hopefully I'd hear from her after I touched down.

Xoxoxoxox

The plane finally touched down, after an hour delay in Paris, and I was chomping at the bit to get to the privacy of my room to see what she'd written. Well, I could probably read her email from my phone. That shouldn't be too provocative.

"What is with you and that phone?" I smiled over at Kate.

"Just want to check my email."

"Is there something I should know?" Kate eyed me suspiciously.

Like I was going to tell them about Bella? "I can increase my penis size if I order this random pill. And there's a widow in Ethiopia that wants to give me $20 million."

She snorted. "We both know you don't need any help in either department."

Garrett nodded and then her words sank in. "Hey! How do you know he doesn't need a penis pill?"

She shot him a knowing smile and I did my best not to laugh. "Not cool. Both of you suck." Kate started to open her mouth and his hand shot over it. "Don't even say it."

I snorted and opened my mail. Yes! She'd replied.

_Edward,_

_First of all, I could never tire of you. You can leave me messages on email, on Words, via text, in skywriting, in Morse code, etc and I will be quite content to respond to it all. Though I'd probably have to brush up on the Morse code. I think I only ever learned SOS and that was at my father's insistence. He's a worrywart like that._

Morse code? Where did she come up with this stuff? It was awesome.

_I woke up to rain but I didn't mind because I was full of thoughts of you. That's better than sunshine. Man, aren't I cheesy this morning? I'm going to send you running one of these days, I'm sure of it. But in the meantime, I'm glad to do whatever I can to make your travels better._

I'm not running anywhere, Bella. And you're doing so much more than I could possibly explain to make this trip better.

_Anytime you want to step foot on a plane to Washington, I'll be there to greet you. It's the very least I could do, and we both know I want to do a whole lot more than that! Hopefully you're reading my innuendo in privacy this time. I wouldn't want anybody else to see the effect that I have on you! That's for my eyes only._

I am wisely waiting until I can check into my hotel to read your Words, Bella. Thankfully this email is fairly tame.

_Now I'm going to go see what words you had to share with me on Words, and just how worked up you'll make me. Good thing I'm in bed wearing nothing but my favorite t-shirt. What do you wear to bed?_

I thought too fucking soon. A t-shirt? I needed to hear about this t-shirt along with her toy. What was this girl doing to me?

_Have safe travels and I'll talk to you soon._

_Yours,_

_Bella_

Mine? Why did that make me feel so good? I liked it. A lot. It was silly and she certainly wasn't mine, but I liked imagining that she was.

"Seriously, what has you smiling like that? It has to be a girl." Kate tried to grab my phone but I yanked it away from her.

"Why must it always be a girl? Maybe my brother's especially funny today."

"Your brother is always funny but you don't smile goofily at his emails," she pointed out. Was I looking goofy? Oops.

Garrett squeezed her shoulder. "Let him have his secret, Katie."

"Hey, if he's involved with someone, it's my duty to know about it before some paper picks it up and we get a zillion calls and…"

I cut her off before she got too worked up. "I'm not involved with anyone, Kate. There is nothing for a paper to find, I swear."

She glared at me. "Then what has you smiling like that?"

I doubted I was smiling now but I was sure I had been. Fuck. I was too curious for my own good. "Alright. I've been talking to this girl for the past couple of days through Words with Friends. She doesn't know who I am. We're just talking."

Kate looked at me and then at Garrett and then back at me. "Talking how? Does she have your number?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, Kate. We message on WWF and I sent her an email before we took off. That's what I was reading, her reply."

"So you like her?" Garrett asked, before Kate could say anything else.

"Yeah, she's funny and smart. She makes me laugh." And makes me hard, but I am absolutely not telling you that.

"Are you sure she doesn't know who you are? How did you hook up?" Kate demanded.

I shouldn't have said a word. "She randomly found me on WWF. How in the hell would she know who I was, Kate? My screen name isn't Edward Cullen."

"You never know," she replied.

"Yes, I do. She's just a girl who lives in Washington and is studying to be a teacher. I don't think she's out to land the great Edward Cullen." It was ridiculous to think that.

"You seem to know quite a bit about her," Kate observed.

"Not that much. Age, location and name." And that she's kinda kinky and might have a thing for handcuffs.

Kate blew out a breath. "Alright. If you say it's nothing, I'll believe you, though you don't smile like that at nothing."

"I told you, she's funny. She makes me laugh. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Garrett replied, squeezing Kate's shoulder again. "We just want you to be careful."

"You know me, Garrett, I'm Mr. Careful. I told you I wasn't dating anyone for awhile and I meant it."

I was saved from anymore scrutiny by our arrival at the hotel. I let them take care of checking in and waited impatiently for my key. The instant Garrett gave it to me I hurried to my room. They couldn't dictate who I did and didn't talk to. If I wanted to have fun with Bella, then I would. It's not like we were dating or anything.

I turned on my computer and opened my WWF app while it booted. Vow? What are you vowing to do, Bella? I bet I'll like it.

_I'll take your A and run with it, but how do I turn that into an A+? Is there any kind of extra credit I can do? Can it be the sexy kind? I'm not above putting out for a good grade._

Oooh, maybe I could be the teacher and she could be the student. So wrong, Cullen. But so very hot. An A+ is more than possible.

_I am 100% female. I'd be happy to prove it to you. I can send you a picture or you could call me or, well, I don't know how else I'd prove it but just ask and I'll do it. So no, there are no physical signs like your yard stick, mind you, but I do tend to get flushed when I get excited. My roommate thought I was masturbating when she knocked on my door last night. I even tried to tell her I was so she'd go away but she knows me too well._

How much did I love that she told her roommate she was masturbating to try to get rid of her? If only she had been. And I'd really like to see that flush. And all of her. But how can I ask for her picture if I won't give her mine? I wish I could, but that would change everything.

_You flatter me with your words, Edward. I'm glad that I've made your trip more bearable._

_Good luck searching out that particular little blue car. They don't make them anymore. I'm just grateful that I stocked up on them before they were discontinued. I guess if you want to see it, you'll have to make that trip here. All this incentive I keep giving you. However can you say no? I would be more than willing to demonstrate why my car is superior to yours. Care to race?_

Now she tells me. Not that I hadn't gotten a laugh out of the blue dolphin thingy and the random porn videos that popped up. Still, it was good incentive. I really wanted to see what that little car did.

_I'll school you very well, Edward. I don't know why you didn't have any hot teachers when you were in school, but I'll gladly make up for it. I have no doubt that you could be my very best, very brightest student. And as I'm willing to bribe you for good grades, I'll let you know that you can do the same for me._

Oh fuck yeah. I palmed my cock through my jeans. Did I have enough time before the buzz kills came by? Probably not.

_You keep on taking very good care of those hands for me. I expect them to be strong and smooth and capable of giving me much pleasure. Are there hand exercises you could do to help with stamina? Talk to your yoga instructor about that, will you?_

I laughed as I thought of asking Alec to strengthen my hands. He'd wonder what in the hell was wrong with me and probably take me down with a leg sweep.

_I hope your trip was safe and that you can sleep tonight. If not, find me. I'm all yours._

Mine again? Holy shit, but I really, really liked that.

**Why yes, Ms. Bella, you can most certainly do extra credit to get that A+. I have a lot of ideas on little things you could do to boost that grade of yours and all of it is the sexy kind. Hold on, I have to call the front desk to ask for more lotion.**

That would so set tongues to wagging. Maybe I'd have to use the girly shit after all. Maybe I could pick up some before I came back for the night.

**I'm kind of sad you weren't masturbating when your roommate interrupted you last night. I mean, I'm glad you were talking to me, but the image of you touching yourself while talking to me is very hot. I guess it'd be hard to do while we were typing, though. Well, maybe someday, huh?**

Such a fantastic thought that was, but no way to do it. Unless I called her. Would she know it was me? Shit. This was complicated. So was the picture thing.

**I know you're a girl, Bella. I was just teasing. I'm not saying I don't want to see you. I definitely do. But I don't want you to feel obliged to prove yourself to me either. I trust you are exactly who you say you are. We agreed to be honest with one another, didn't we?**

That worked, right? I didn't want her to think I didn't want to see her. I damn well did. It would be lovely to put a real face into the fantasy. So far I'd kind of morphed several actresses into one in my mind but God only knew what she looked like. I still wasn't sure what color her eyes even were.

**You'd be amazed at my Googling skills. But I did try and it didn't show up, so maybe you wouldn't be. I guess I'm just going to have wait until you show it to me. That's better than a Google search anyway. I have no doubt that yours is the superior car. I'd rather ride with you than race, though. How does that sound?**

Riding together would be so much more fun. I really needed to think about this phone thing. Maybe I could buy one of those burner phones that drug dealers always used in movies and TV shows. Then she wouldn't have my real info. Hmmm. I need to watch _The Wire_ again.

**I promise I'll study very hard for you, Bella. You won't need any other students. You can teach me all day, and most importantly, all night long. I'll earn my extra credit at the same time you're earning yours.**

We can both be the teacher.

**I Googled hand strengthening exercises when my car search turned up fruitless. Between those and my self-pleasuring, I'm sure my hands will be plenty capable of giving you the attention you so richly deserve. Off to strengthen now. My lotion has arrived.**

**Thinking of you.**

Maybe I should look up hand exercises. Not that I doubted my ability to bring her pleasure. I was pretty damn good at it, at least I'd always been told so.

Now to answer her email before I have to leave.

**Bella,**

**See how good you are to me? First you manage to keep me occupied when I'm alone in my hotel room and now you've given me something to learn while I'm there. Morse code can be our own special language. You wait. One of these days you'll open an email from me and see all these dashes and dots. You better call your dad and ask him to teach you more than just SOS, unless of course you want to be saved from me. That would make me sad, so I hope it's not the case.**.

**If you send me running, it'll be running in your direction. Silly girl, why would I possibly run away from you? I'm glad I wasn't the only grinning fool when I got up this morning. Maybe some people would think we're lame but it works for us, so why not?**

**Yes, I wisely waited to read your mail until I was alone, not that I wasn't sorely tempted. I may have checked my phone the moment we touched down in Berlin. You know, just to see if you'd gotten up in time for class and whatnot.**

Alright, so I hadn't waited and I'd paid for it with two nosy employees. I would wait from now on, even if it killed me.

**Do tell me about this favorite t-shirt. What is it? Is it long? Does it cover all the good parts, or just part of them? See, it was a very good thing I didn't read your words until I was alone, because now I'm picturing you in a t-shirt that barely skims your thighs and…well, let's just say you have very nice legs and leave it at that for the moment.**

**For putting that picture in my mind, I'll answer your question with this. I sleep completely naked. Do with that what you will.**

I laughed as I typed that, wondering what her response would be. She never failed to exceed my expectations.

**Thank you for your wishes for good travels. I made it. Another day closer to being home and being closer to you. I can't wait.**

**You're mine, huh? Well, then, I guess I'll say this:**

**Yours back,**

**Edward**

Too far? I hoped not. Maybe she'd like it as much as I liked her calling herself mine. I sent the mail and closed my laptop. There wasn't time to play for now but she'd probably leave me something to perk me up when I got back to my room. I couldn't wait.


	7. Chapter 7

I knocked out four more interviews, one for some talk show that had me with Irina and James. She made it a major point to be draped all over him, cooing and flashing her ring at the camera time and time again. Did she really think that was going to get to me? I had a hard time not laughing and advising James to schedule unannounced visits to her next shoot. Then again, he should know what he was getting.

"Why didn't she just wear a fucking veil?" Kate snarked as we got into the limo. I laughed along with Garrett. Was it any wonder she was working for me? Even if she was a little uptight about the Bella thing, she sure had my back.

Thinking of Bella made me want to grab my phone but I knew better than to read anything she wrote to me now. I'd probably get hard and Kate would be watching me like a hawk. I kept my phone shut off as it had been since we'd left the hotel this morning. I'd see what Bella had to say as soon as I could get away.

"Subtle is not Irina's middle name," Garrett drawled. "And James! Is he really that much of an idiot? He does know how they got together, doesn't he?"

I grinned and stretched my legs across the seat. "I wanted to tell him to make sure to pull a few surprise set visits on her next film but I thought it would be crass."

Kate giggled. "God, I wish I wasn't your publicist and could tell you to do that. Maybe your brother could give an interview and say it for you? Nobody would bat an eye if Emmett said something like that."

He would love it. "Yeah, but they'd all be hounding me for a response."

Kate rested her head against Garrett's shoulder. "Good point. More work for me, too. We can't have that."

"Completely unacceptable," Garrett agreed, kissing the top of her blond hair.

"Speaking of comments, why don't you have your nose buried in your phone?" Kate asked, smiling slightly. I couldn't read that smile. It wasn't one of her usual ones.

"When I have such stimulating company? Why would I ignore you?" Stimulating in a totally different way, not the Bella way, thankfully.

"Because…" she broke off as her phone rang and sat up to rifle through her purse. Saved by the ringtone.

"Bohemian Rhapsody? Is your mom calling you?" I teased.

"No, your mom is." She answered quickly. "Esme?" Shit. What in the hell was my mom doing calling Kate?

"Actually he's right here. Of course you can." Kate smirked as she held her phone out to me. This could not be good.

"Hi, Mom."

"Don't you 'Hi, Mom' me, Edward Anthony Cullen. Why haven't you called me?" Her voice was silken steel. I was in trouble.

Crap. Because I knew what was coming? "I've been traveling. You know I don't call much when I'm away. Em could tell you I was fine. I texted him."

"Yes, you had time to text your brother, undoubtedly about some female he was sniffing around, instead of calling your dear mother who's been worried sick about you?"

Did she know Emmett well or what? "Why are you worried about me? You know what I'm doing." Like I didn't know what this was about. Still, it was better to play clueless.

"I know you're traveling with that vicious bitch who had the utter nerve to rub her marriage in your face in front of hundreds of press people!" I held the phone away from my ear as my mother got going. "I had that evil snake at my dinner table more than once. I bought her that dress she wore when she announced her stupid marriage! How dare she?" Kate and Garrett were both shaking with silent laughter. They could hear her just as well as I could.

I waited a few seconds and when no more shouting occurred I brought the phone back to my ear. "Did you get it all out?" I asked cautiously.

She blew out an angry breath. "You're just lucky that I vented to your father first." I was. And I felt bad for him. I'd have to buy him some new golf clubs or something as a thank you.

"Mom, I'm perfectly alright. I didn't call you to talk about it because there's nothing to say. I don't care who Irina marries."

She huffed. "Well, I do. And I wish her a marriage made in hell. How dare she do that? And don't think that wasn't about you, Edward. She wanted to rub it in your face."

I tried to crack my suddenly tense neck to no avail. "Yes, she did, but it didn't work." I wasn't about to tell her that she'd been trying to molest me under the table.

"Good. You can do way better than her."

"Yes, Mom." I wasn't about to get into the fact that I wasn't looking. She'd just try to set me up.

"So, how's the press tour going? Are you getting enough rest?" I rolled my eyes and responded to her questions all the way back to the hotel. At least it passed the time until I could get to my room and get to Bella. I got off the phone with a goodbye and a promise to call her soon.

"You want some dinner?" Garrett asked as he helped Kate from the car.

"I think I'm going relax and get to bed early tonight. Tomorrow's a long day."

He nodded and we made our way into the hotel. Kate was smirking but I didn't know what that was about and didn't want to. Did she see through me? Probably. She was sharp which was why I hired her. I broke off and left them to their room before hurrying into mine. The computer was still on so I got on yahoo and I had mail.

_Edward,_

_I am pretty incredible, I must admit. Haha. Just kidding. I'm all too happy to give you something to do when you're alone in that hotel room. Well, I like giving you other things to do, having to do with lotion, but learning Morse code would be an okay way to spend your down time. Down time, see what I was doing there? Yes, I am a dork sometimes. You probably picked up on that already._

You're a very adorable dork, Bella. Adorable and stimulating, that is. And I rarely get any down time with you. That's a problem, but a good one.

_We can be lame together. It's much more fun than being lame alone. And we'll be happy and lame. What's wrong with that? Run right over, Edward. I'll be waiting with open arms._

_I'm so glad I'm not alone! I wanted to check my mail during class but I was having a hard enough time paying attention without having you on my mind. Not that you weren't already there, but if I knew what I was missing it would have been even worse. Or not. I don't know. At least I went to class, right?_

Was it possible that she was as hooked on my messages as I was hers? That made me feel good.

_Mid-thigh is a good guess. It covers all the goods, seeing as I have two roommates. Though I do tend to move around in my sleep and more often than not it ends up twisted around my waist. I would follow your example and take it off but I did wake up to one of my roommates in my bed the other day. I'll let your mind go wherever it goes with that one in retaliation for you making me think of you naked while I'm sitting in a very crowded Starbucks. Naughty Edward!_

So I did get to her! Ha! Though the thought of her with that t-shirt riding high was getting to me as well. It took so little with her.

_I can't wait until you're closer either, though having you that close might kill me. So close, yet so far away. Still, being in the same time zone is something I very much look forward to._

_Mine, huh? I like it more than you can possibly know. Talk to you soon!_

_Your Bella_

My Bella. Someday we'll be in the same time zone and someday, maybe you'll know who I am. I wish I didn't have to keep it from you.

I shrugged off the melancholy that I felt for not being able to reveal myself to her. No time for that. She was waiting for an email and I certainly wasn't going to whine about my life.

**Bella,**

**I happen to think you're pretty incredible. I know you make me smile even when everything else around me is making me frown, which I think is pretty great. Lotion, Morse code, WWF…somehow you make all three much more entertaining than they are alone. Well, I don't know about Morse code, but how exciting can dashes and dots be by themselves? They're much better when coming from a sexy Washingtonian.**

**Did you know that dork is a whale penis? My brother pointed that out to me the other day and then you went and used it in your email. This cannot be a coincidence, though I really don't think you'd have anything to do with a whale penis. If Ron Jeremy scares you, a whale penis would probably give you a heart attack.**

Emmett would be so proud that I was using his imparted knowledge to entertain her.

**Are your arms really wide open for me, Bella? I admit, I could use a good hug after the week I've been having. Somehow I think a hug would not be enough, though. You might never get rid of me.**

**It's a very good thing you went to class. I wouldn't want to have to punish you in a non-fun way! Skipping class is expressly forbidden. I have to suffer through my meetings. You need to do the same. Then we can commiserate and make each other feel better later. Sound fair?**

I already felt better for having read her words, and I hadn't even gotten to the dirtier ones yet.

**Ahem. What was your roommate doing in bed with you? Are you going to tell me, or leave it to my sick, depraved mind? Because you know, I am a guy. Just saying. Though I'm kind of jealous that she (it is a she right?) was in bed with you instead of me. I really hope it was a she. Hmmm.**

If it wasn't…well, that was ridiculous. I didn't have any claim on her.

**So you were thinking of my nakedness in the middle of Starbucks? Turnabout is fair play, my fair Bella. At least there was no physical evidence of your reaction, um, provided you had one of course. I'll try not to be offended if you didn't, but yeah, I will. Tell me you did. Lie if you have to.**

**Well, my Bella, I should get some sleep, since you're not here to keep me up in more interesting ways. I look forward to your words in the morning.**

**Your Edward**

That should do it. Now, for WWF. I turned my phone on and ignored the missed calls and voicemail. I knew exactly who I'd missed and I'd already gotten an earful from her. Holy shit, did Bella play rub? Rub? Was she forecasting what I was going to be doing in about ten minutes? Only one way to find out. I opened her message.

_So the German lotion shortage has begun! We're going to have whole nations after us by the time you get back to California. Totally worth it though. Now tell me what you'll have me do to get my A+. Are you difficult to please? I need explicit instructions._

Explicit? Did she really want me to go there? I had plenty of fantasies to share if she wanted.

_We can touch while talking whenever you like, Edward. Obviously that would require some other form of communication. I'll let you decide when and if you're ready for it, but I can tell you that I am. See the above paragraph if you need clarification of that fact. And yes, it would be the hottest thing this side of us actually being in the same room with one another._

Oh, hell yes, it would be so hot. My cock was already springing to life at just the thought. Could I call her? I still needed to figure that out. It'd wait until I got home. Maybe Emmett would have some ideas. Did I want to tell Emmett? That was another question.

_We did agree to be honest with one another, this is true. I just wanted to put your mind at ease. There are a lot of weirdos out there and I wouldn't blame you if you worried about me being a forty-something, fat, balding dude who got his jollies by messing with other dudes. I bet that ruined your hot images from earlier, didn't it? Sorry! But, well, one of these days you'll have an email attachment from me. It'll be safe to open. Whether you want to reciprocate or not is up to you. No pressure._

Oh gross, Bella. Please don't be a dude. Are you really going to send me a picture? Do you have any idea how much I want it?

_I far prefer riding with someone than riding solo. I've been doing enough of that lately. You're invited to ride me anytime you like. Yes, I left out the word with on purpose!_

Well, that made my deflating dick perk right back up.

_Mutual extra credit? I like the sound of that. We'll both be teaching and learning at the same time. I can't wait to learn all about what you like and showing you what I do. Best class ever._

I would definitely endure school again to get a chance at that.

_Are you feeling stronger now? Perhaps after reading this, you'll have to do some more exercises again? I hope so. I know that I feel the need to turn the wheels to high speed and let myself fly. It'll be you I'm thinking of when I do. Just like you were thinking of me. I like that as a signoff. It's just as good as…_

_Yours, Bella_

Oh fuck. That mysterious little car again. I had to see that thing. Maybe I could ask for a picture of her toy as well? Not that seeing her wasn't more important.

My dick was pressing against my zipper and I needed to do something about that. I undid my pants and slid off my boxers. The tie and shirt were off next. I fell back on the bed and reached for the cream on the nightstand. Yeah, I'd put that shit out. I knew what I'd be doing before bed tonight. Reply first, then get down with the lotion. Rub, just as she'd suggested.

**I'm willing to face the wrath of nations so long as I get to have your naughty words spurring me on. Some things are worth the sacrifice, Bella, and you're one of them.**

**I am extremely easy to please, or so it seems when it comes to you. Your words get me hard almost embarrassingly easily. I'm afraid that I'm going to hear the name Bella in public and like Pavlov's dog, my yard stick will rise for everyone to see. I can't regret it though.**

We were going to Italy next. I really did have a valid concern on that front. Was she Italian? I wanted to ask but she'd ask me what I was in return.

Well, maybe I couldn't give her some info but I could give her what she'd asked for this time.

**Bella, Bella, Bella. What am I going to do with you? You're making it awfully hard for me to stop being a gentleman (well, I'm sure my mom would argue that I've not been one at all when it comes to you) and tell you exactly what you seem to want so badly to know.**

**You want to know that I want to bend you over and spank your pretty ass for taunting me, for making me hard multiple times a day? And then I want to slide my dick inside you and make you scream my name while I take you from behind on your teacher's desk. Is that what you wanted to know, Bella? That's just one of the many fantasies I've indulged in since you came into my life. What about you? Fair's fair.**

Yeah, that was my favorite one. Gotta hurry up and send this so I can enjoy it.

**I think we'll have to talk about this hands free talking when I get back in the same time zone. I don't know yet what we'll do, but to say I would enjoy sharing a fantasy with you real time is an understatement.**

**I would never turn away from an email attachment from you, Bella. I'll take anything you want to send me. You should know that by now! It would give me something to ride solo to, wouldn't it? Until I could ride with you, that is.**

I want to know what you look like. Am I close? The Rachel Bilson/Olivia Wilde hybrid I'd created was good but I wanted the real her.

**My hands are perfectly strong and these thoughts mean that I'm going to be working them again shortly. You have nothing to fear, Bella. Thoughts of you and that little mystery toy keep me going.**

**Talk to you soon,**

**Edward**

Very shortly. As in, right away. I had no good letters left so I played tin and closed the app. Her words were way better than mine, but maybe my fantasy would work for her. Speaking of that…I reached for my lotion and squirted some in my hand, rubbing them both together to warm it up a little before I moved my right hand down to my aching cock. I fisted the length of it and pumped a few times as I let the image of my brunette possible Bella fill my mind.

She said something sassy about me needing extra credit in order to pass her class and I walked up behind her and rubbed my cock against her tight ass. She was always teasing me, bending over in front of me, making me so hard for her. I moved my hands down her body and cupped those cheeks, squeezing them as I rubbed my dick against her. That's right, Bella, I'm rubbing.

I reached around her and swept my arm across her desk, scattering pens and papers everywhere. She gasped as I pushed her down, her body bent over the desk, her ass taunting me yet again. But this time it was mine. I reached down and touched her thighs, moving my hands up and pulling her skirt up with me until there it was. Perfect milky white skin. I squeezed her cheeks before yanking off the black thong she was wearing.

I slid my hand between her legs and felt just how wet she was for me. I groaned at the feel of her arousal, so hot. I slipped a finger inside her and felt her tight walls around me. I couldn't wait to be inside that, but she had to be taught a lesson first. I removed my finger and she protested with a little sob. I shushed her and placed my hand on her ass, rubbing lightly before raising it and swatting her gently. She shrieked in surprise and pushed her ass back against my hand. She wanted more. Of course she did. She was my dirty, kinky teacher. I swatted her again and she moaned.

I aimed just under the rounded curves of her ass and let my fingers brush against her pussy on the next spank. She wiggled and she finally spoke again. "Edward, please."

My cock was aching and I needed to be inside her before I came. I admired her pretty ass, now pink from my spanking, and spread her legs. My pants were down around my ankles and I finally slid inside her. She was so hot, so tight and I couldn't take it slow. I pounded into her. She screamed my name as she came almost immediately, her hands digging for purchase anywhere on her desk as she writhed in pleasure.

I kept fucking her, harder and faster, just like she begged me to. She came again, tightening around me as I felt my cock explode inside her, filling her with my load of come.

Holy shit. I opened my eyes and watched as my cock slid out of my hand, spent. I hopped off the bed and washed the cream and come off my hands. Time for a shower and then bed. I ought to sleep well after that. God, the things that woman did to me and I didn't even know her. Maybe someday.

Xoxoxoxox

I woke up with Bella on my mind. What had she thought of my fantasy? Had it been too much? It had been perfect for me. I pissed and then grabbed my laptop. Email first, WWF before the shower, just in case she got to me again. Today was full of more interviews and then the premiere, so I probably wouldn't get to talk to her much. That sucked.

She'd responded so I opened her email quickly.

_Edward,_

_You're pretty incredible yourself, you know that? I had a pretty bad flash from the past tonight and when I logged in and read your email, well, you made me smile and laugh which I didn't think I was going to be doing anytime soon. So thanks for that._

_I could really use that hug, too. Did you know, well of course you don't know, duh, you don't know me, but anyway…apparently today would have been my three year anniversary with the ex. Not that I remembered. I actually had a perfectly good day, except for the hot flashes in Starbucks, that yes, were real. You had to know that thoughts of you naked would do things to me._

I love that thoughts of me naked can give you hot flashes. But I hate that something upset you. Exes are a pain in the ass. I more than know.

_See, thoughts of you naked got me off track again. Anyway, everything was fine but tonight I come home and one of my roommates (both of whom are girls, thank you) showed me the roses that she'd thrown in the trash. She was trying to protect me and keep me from getting upset, but honestly, I'm not upset that we're not together anymore. I'm upset that he's an asshole who thinks that it's okay for him to send me roses on our non-anniversary when he's married and expecting a baby any day now with the girl he cheated on me with. Who does that? More importantly, how did I date a guy that would do something like that? What if the roles had been reversed and I was the one with the big baby belly while he was sending love notes to exes saying he wished things were different and he'd always love them?_

Wait a minute. Her fucking ex sent her roses when he's married to someone else? What a prick. Who was this guy? My hands tightened into fists as I imagined plowing them into his asshole face.

I'm so glad, Bella, that you're not with someone like that. You deserve so much better. Someone who will treat you like you deserve, who will know what a lucky bastard he is to have you and won't look at another woman, let alone touch one. Stupid fucker.

_Is it wrong to be thankful that I dodged that bullet? She's stuck with him but I'm pretty sure she loves him. Hopefully he'll stick with her, despite his obvious assholish tendencies to stray. Wow, I just unloaded on you via email. Sorry about that. Maybe I'll go back and erase all that part before I send it._

I'm glad you didn't erase it. I wish I could do something for you. I wish I could hold you and tell you that I could make it all better. I wish I could kick his ass. I wish a lot of things. Maybe someday. That was fast becoming my mantra.

_I had heard that a dork was a whale penis, although I can't say that I retained that information. Thanks for bringing that back into my life and making me laugh._

_Who says I would want to get rid of you? Unless you plan on knocking up an ex, you're already a leg up on the most recent guy in my life. Well, who am I kidding? You're head and shoulders above him. So no, Edward, were I lucky enough to get the chance, I wouldn't let go._

Nor would I, Bella. Nor would I.

_I will happily commiserate with you. As you can see, I need some tonight. I probably should have waited to send this email until I was in a better frame of mind. Maybe I should have read your WWF instead? God knows that gets me going. Well, maybe you'll get a happier me there. The many sides of Bella. Maybe you were right to call me Sybil early on in our chatting. It feels oddly fitting today._

We all have many sides to us, Bella. I should know. You get to see the real me. Not many people know that guy. The public persona is someone else entirely.

_The roomie was in bed with me for non-sexy purposes, I assure you. We'd had a fight and she wanted to make up with me, so she crawled into my bed and waited for me to awaken. Kinda freaky when you think about it. I wish I would have woken up to you instead. Even if you were staring at me, creeper style, it would probably still be okay._

How could she make me laugh when I was angry at her ex and upset on her behalf? She was one special woman.

_Sweet dreams, Edward. I wish I were there to make them sweet realities, but we're stuck with this, not that I'm complaining. I'll talk to you soon._

_Your Bella_

Wishes and dreams. That's all we had right now. Maybe all we could ever have. Why couldn't I be Joe Schmoe and give her all of me? Well, maybe I could give her more than I had. Starting now.

**Bella,**

**I wish there was something I could do to make things better for you, beyond sending you this email. I won't lie, the first thing I wanted to do when I read your email was give you that hug we're both sorely missing. The second thing I wanted to do was find the jerk that hurt you and make him sorry he'd tried to contact you again.**

**You ask me how you could have dated someone like him and I wish I could give you an answer. I really wish I knew. Sometimes we only see what we want to see when we're with someone. We hope for the best and sometimes we get it. Other times, we get the worst.**

Here we go, Cullen. She was honest with you. Give her some of yours now.

**My situation wasn't quite the same as yours, but I felt like a fool after it was over, too. Why didn't I see it? I walked in on her with another man, another co-worker no less, and it was the cliché moment that you always see in movies and TV shows. Everybody freezes. I fully expected her to say it wasn't what I thought it was but do you know what she said to me instead? She asked if I'd like to join in. No lie, Bella. She was fucking someone else and then invited me to join the party. Who does that?**

**Needless to say, I turned her down harshly. That was all it took to unleash a side of her that I'd never seen before. She'd seemed like such a sweet person and we'd had a lot of fun. I can't say that I was in love with her, but I can say that I liked her a lot and thought we were great together. She didn't see it that way, though. She insulted me, my manhood, my family and pretty much everything she could think of, all while naked with another guy's dick in her, mind you. Then she told me she was only with me to advance her career. I'm no fool and I know that's a possibility, particularly when you date a co-worker, but it cut to hear it you know?**

I could still see it in my head, as clear as day. And she had the balls to try to get back with me now? Well, before she married James of course. Maybe she should get together with Bella's ex. They had a lot in common.

**I guess my point is that we've all had relationship crap, some of us worse than others. While I think your ex is a pure asshole for sending the card to you, I can see why he'd have a hard time letting go of you. You're smart, witty, sexy as hell, funny and you're a good person, Bella. I can see all that in only a short time and he dated you for a long time. He was a fool to cheat on you and it's pretty clear that he knows that. Try to think of it that way and feel sorry for the girl who's stuck with him, because I know that she doesn't measure up to you and so does he.**

He's a fool, Bella. He didn't know how good he had it and now he wishes he had you back. Thank God he can't. You're too smart for that.

**I'm very glad you dodged that bullet, as you wouldn't be here with me now. Well, in a matter of speaking anyway. And I'm also glad you sent this email to me. I like getting to know you better. And you're not Sybil. You're Bella and I like all sides of you. The good and the bad stuff all serves to make you the girl that I enjoy. How about we do this? In every email, we'll share something personal about our lives, our families, whatever. We can save the X-rated stuff for WWF, which is, after all, where you started getting naughty in the first place.**

I want to know you. I want you to know me. As much of me as you can, anyway. Here we go.

**Now, let me see, what to share? I have an older brother who actually lives with me back in California. Not that he couldn't afford to live on his own, but I think he just likes having me to hang out with. We're pretty close, although he tends to be the wilder of the two of us. As you know, he told me a dork was a whale penis the other day. So that should give you a hint of the kind of person that he is. He's a troublemaker but he's my best friend, too. I was pretty nerdy growing up (if the He-Man stuff didn't clue you in) and he always defended me from bullies. Did you have anybody like that growing up? Or now?**

I hope you do. You deserve amazing people in your life.

**I'm honored that you wouldn't mind if I was staring at you creeper style. That's oddly nice to hear, I think. And while a part of me is sad that your roommate was not in bed for some girl on girl action, most of me is actually glad to hear that.**

**I wouldn't let you go either, Bella. You're already the best part of my day. I hope my words made you see just how great I think you are. Keep your chin up and I'm here if you want to talk.**

**Yours, Edward**

My fingers itched to give her more. To give her my phone number to call me if she needed me. It was too soon though, damn it. I needed time to figure it out. I ran my fingers through my hair and growled in frustration. I fucking hated this and loved it at the same time. I loved being just me, some guy named Edward. But I wanted her to know all of me. I'd just reveal it slowly through the email. One day I'd tell her and hopefully nothing would change.

I sighed and opened my WWF app. Wet? Jesus fucking Christ, was she trying to kill me?

_Did you read my word, Edward? What did you think of it when you did? Because I'll have you know, a few words from you and that's exactly what I was. Wet. Especially when you mentioned the desk and spanking and then, well, let's not pretty it up, fucking me from behind. That just so happens to be one of my favorite fantasies starring you._

Hell, yes, she liked it. She more than liked it. She had the same one. Hot damn. Yes, Bella, I was definitely fucking you. Hard and fast. Fuck, we have lift off.

_You know, all your talk of flying made me wonder if you were a member of the mile high club? I admit, I've imagined the two of us in that cramped little bathroom, barely able to move but oh so close. Me, perched on the sink, you standing and thrusting into me with a whole plane full of people clueless. Or maybe knowing? That's part of the fun of it, isn't it?_

Hot. So fucking hot. Yes, we can absolutely fuck on a plane. Let them all know. They'll be jealous as hell.

_I'm glad you to hear you'll look at my attachment. I do hope you'll like what you'll see. Maybe I'll surprise you with something soon. I promise It won't be x-rated. There are some things I just wouldn't do!_

Well, that was a little sad but I couldn't blame her. I wouldn't want her sending naughty pictures of herself to some stranger either, even if I was the stranger.

_I'm very glad to hear about those strong hands of yours, Edward. They'd have to be in order to lift me into some of the positions I dream about. I'll leave you with that._

_Your very turned on Bella_

Holy hell. I was having Alec work the hell out of my upper body when I got home. I would love to try out her positions. Hot damn.

I flipped back to the words and saw I had nothing to play. X with no I's open. A C. Screw it. I resigned and started a new game. My letters weren't bad. At least I could get a double word score with hoard. I played that and flipped back to respond to her.

**Wet? Yeah, there was no topping that one, Bella. Consider me killed dead. Damn. To read that word and then to read your reply? Yeah, the lotion shortage got out of hand. The people of Germany are cursing my name.**

And I absolutely don't give a damn, because you turn me on and I'm really not at all sorry about that fact.

**I love the thought that my fantasy made you wet. I have to tell you, I've thought of that one a lot ever since you mentioned being a teacher. Throw in the librarian stuff and I was a goner. I'm grateful that sharing my fantasy didn't scare you. I was afraid I was too blunt, but then you had to go and be even more so, didn't you?**

Just a little more of what makes you so awesome.

**Yes, I very much want to fuck you from behind. And forward. And sideways. Whatever way I could get you would be fine. And it just so happens that I have a lot of frequent flier miles, so we can check out that bathroom anytime you like.**

**I must admit, I've never done that before but who hasn't thought about it? Especially on a long, boring flight across the ocean. At least I know what I'll be thinking of on my flight back. Which means I'll need a blanket so everybody in the plane can't see the hard on that I'm sporting because of you.**

I was 100% going to use the bathroom and see if it was possible to take her in one. Obviously it happened but it was probably awkward as hell. Who cared though? It was sexy and I wanted it.

**Are you a bit of an exhibitionist, my Bella? Do you want a plane full of people knowing that I'm fucking you in the bathroom? Because I have to admit, that makes me very hot.**

I seriously might have to rub one out in the damn airplane bathroom. No way was I getting through all these flights without thinking of screwing Bella in the air.

**As long as you lay off the cheese, I promise to lift you into any position that you like. My hands are quite strong and now they're smooth on top of it. I think you'd like the feel of them against your skin. Every inch of your skin.**

**I look forward to anything you want to send me, Bella, even if it's just your words. Naughty or otherwise. Talk to you soon.**

I like them all. I can't wait for more.

I had to get up and get around for the day from hell but hopefully she'd be waiting for me when I got back. And hopefully I'd helped make her feel a little better.

Time to shower and fantasize about the mile high club. Flying the friendly skies would definitely have a better meaning with Bella.


	8. Chapter 8

"Edward! Edward, I love you! Over here, Edward." It didn't matter what country I was in, the screams were usually all the same, just with different accents. I smiled and waved and took some pictures with fans as I made my way onto the red carpet.

"Come on, Romeo." I finished signing for a teenage redhead, giving her a smile that made her drop her pen when I tried to hand it back to her. I bent and picked it up.

"Marry me," I think I heard her say. I just smiled and waved. Sorry, sweetheart, but you're not legal and I'm not marrying anybody anytime soon, much to my mother's chagrin. Her best chance at getting grandchildren was for Emmett to knock up one of his conquests. It was actually rather surprising that I didn't have a dozen nieces or nephews by now.

"Did you just get proposed to?" Kate asked, linking her arm with mine. Garrett was already inside, schmoozing with whomever it was he was schmoozing with.

"I think so." The shrieking and general chaos was already giving me a headache but I kept the smile plastered on my face. I knew the drill.

"Well, there's a great story. Edward Cullen marries fan in Germany."

I laughed and nudged her. "Well, it would definitely boot Irina's marriage from page one, seeing as that girl can't be older than sixteen."

Kate grinned. "That might be legal over here. You don't know."

"I know that you'd rather I shave my head and declare myself gay than marry an underage fan."

"True, true. And if you want to go for boys, I fully support that decision. Just don't cut the hair."

I laughed and shook my head. "Never touch the hair. I remember. Didn't you have me sign a contract to that effect?"

"Yes I did. The instant you fuck with the hair, you lose me and my considerable skills."

I wagged my eyebrows at her. "I wouldn't want to do without your skills."

She laughed. "I'll tell Garrett you said that."

"You never know, he might give you to me instead of risking losing his golden goose."

She raised an eyebrow. "I am his golden goose, Cullen. Make no mistake about that."

I tugged on her blond hair. "Don't I know it? You look incredible tonight, by the way."

Kate smiled. "I have to. I have the hottest date at the party." Yeah, she was my date, which was why I was actually having fun again.

"Into the breach, Mr. Cullen."

I took a deep breath and prepared to face the gauntlet of press along the carpet. "Let's do this."

Xoxoxoxox

"I'd say that went well," Garrett said smugly as we all piled into the car. "Schrader wants you to work on some period piece he's producing."

Period piece? Well, it was something different. "Sound good?"

"Excellent. He's going top notch all the way. Mirren, Winslet, Firth."

I laughed. "All Oscar winners and me? What doesn't fit?"

Garrett raised a brow. "He wasn't thinking of you seriously until he saw the movie. Now he wants you. I'd say that says it all."

"Get your tux ready," Kate purred. "This is going to be one hell of an awards season."

I shrugged. Yeah, I'd heard the Oscar buzz but I wasn't putting any credence into it. It was only March and there'd be hundreds of better performances than mine by the end of the year. It didn't matter. I was proud of this movie.

"Is he sending over a script?"

"It'll be in Marcus' hot hands before we get home," Garrett replied. He looked like the cat that ate the canary.

"Cool. I'll look it over. When does it shoot?"

"In about four months. You should be wrapped with Steele by then."

It might work. I'd just have to see what it was all about. Marcus would no doubt have his opinion on it ready before I looked it over.

I shifted in my seat and Kate laughed. "What?"

"I thought maybe you were going to take out your phone and see if your girl had contacted you."

I scowled and shook my head. "She isn't my girl." I didn't know how I felt about that particular statement so I hurried on. "And I didn't bring my phone with me. You've had me occupied all day anyway." And I'd learned the hard way, pun intended, not to open any communication with Bella when other people were around.

The truth was, I felt my fingers itching for my phone all damn day long. But I knew I'd never have a second alone so I'd left temptation in my hotel room. Soon I could go to my room and see what she'd had to say.

"Just checking. I thought maybe you'd had your iPhone surgically attached to your hand." I balled up a napkin from the bar and tossed it at her.

"I haven't been that bad."

"Says you," Garrett supplied. "You've been driving Katie nuts. And then she badgers me about it instead of badgering you."

Ha. "This isn't badgering?" I asked.

Garrett tossed back his head and laughed. "You can tell he's never been married."

"I don't badger anybody." Kate smoothed her yellow dress over her knee. "I simply worry that my client is doing something that will backfire in a major way. I am allowed to worry about you, you know."

I took her hand and kissed it. "I know, Kate. And I love you for it. But I promise, I'm just having a good time getting to know somebody who doesn't know who I am. Someone I can be real with. What's so wrong with that?"

Kate sighed and squeezed my hand. "Nothing, in theory. I don't want you to get hurt again." She held up a hand before I could respond. "Don't even say that you weren't hurt by Irina. You were. You may not have loved her, but you two had a good thing going and you had fun together. It's my job to protect you."

I smiled. "Protect me from the press, yes. But you can't protect me from everything."

She scowled. "Just watch me."

Garrett grinned. "My Katie's fierce. She'll never let you go through what you went through with Irina." What was funny was they didn't know the half of it. If they knew the shit she'd said, well, there would have been no holding Kate back from inflicting physical violence. Not that I minded.

The limo pulled up in front of the hotel and the driver came around to let us out. I got out first and extended a hand to Kate. "Thank you for caring." I helped her from the limo and ruffled her hair. "I'm very lucky to have you on my side, Kate. But I promise you, there's nothing to worry about here. Bella's…" I broke off, not sure what to say. "She's fun. That's all." Pretty much anyway.

"I want info on this girl, Edward. At least let me check her out."

Hell no. I told Bella I trusted her and I meant it. "You know all that I know, Kate. Just let me have this, okay? You want me to be happy? I am."

Garrett slid his arm around her waist and we walked into the lobby. "Alright," she agreed reluctantly. "Only because you don't ask for much."

"Thank you." I broke away from them to head to my room. "Goodnight."

"Rome, bright and early," Garrett reminded me, as if I'd forgotten. Three more cities to go.

I let myself into my room and shrugged out of my suit jacket, tossing it on the couch. The tie quickly followed as I kicked off my shoes and undid my slacks. The shirt was next. I left on my undershirt and boxers as I sank onto the bed and grabbed my computer. Email first, words second. At least give your dick a little relief, Cullen.

What was this? Two emails? One with an attachment…oh fuck. She'd sent a picture, hadn't she? Thank fucking God I didn't have my phone with me. No way I would have waited to open it until I got alone. Should I read the first email first or…who was I kidding? I was opening that picture.

_Edward,_

_An apple a day means the teacher will play. Will you give me one? Or will I have to punish you? You'll see my weapon of choice when you open this. I look forward to seeing what you'll choose._

_Your Bella._

Oh, shit. I hadn't even seen it yet and my cock was hard as a rock. I blew out a breath. What if she wasn't cute? She'd still be Bella and I'd still like her. But damn, I wanted her to be cute. Hot. Sexy. Fuck. Only one way to know. I clicked on the attachment.

Bastard. I am buying a new laptop the minute I get home. This is taking way too long. I need to see her, don't you understand that? I need to see if…

"Oh my fucking hell." There she was. And she wasn't cute. She was beautiful. Hot. Sexy. Better than I could ever have imagined. My teacher in the flesh. What flesh it was. Creamy white skin, a tight white shirt that showed off what appeared to be magnificent breasts, straining against the buttons. Why in the hell couldn't the button have popped? I wanted to see that sexy black bra she had on.

And the rest of her body. Jesus. She had curves, beautiful curves that I wanted to run my hands over, just like I promised. Long legs, sexy legs that would look phenomenal wrapped around me. Or spread open so I could feast on her.

Even better than the body was the face. Big brown eyes, just liked I'd imagined, only prettier. They were the color of milk chocolate. Her glasses were so fucking hot, too. She looked every inch the teacher/librarian. Better than my imagination. Perfect, full lips that would be amazing wrapped around my cock. And the hair. Up in a bun, held in place by two pencils that I badly wanted to tug out of her hair so I could run my fingers through it.

My palms itched touch her. My mouth was dry. My cock was aching. What the fuck was this girl doing to me? How could she be so damn hot? How in the hell was I supposed to be friends with a girl that looked like that?

And what was she doing with her hands? Jesus Christ, that was her tongue and she didn't look like he wanted to bite the apple. She wanted to bite me. And fuck, I wanted her to. And the ruler. Jesus. I was going to die. She was trying to kill me.

What had she said?

_Edward,_

_An apple a day means the teacher will play. Will you give me one? Or will I have to punish you? You'll see my weapon of choice when you open this. I look forward to seeing what you'll choose._

_Your Bella._

Fuuuuuuuck. I'll give you anything you want if you'll play with me, Bella. You can punish me too. Apple, ruler, whatever you want. My hand was on my cock now and I pulled it through my shorts. My eyes stayed on her gorgeous form as I worked my dick, squeezing and stroking it hard and fast.

So fucking beautiful. I wanted to touch those breasts. I wanted those lips. She was so much more real to me now. This girl, this woman was the one who said those dirty words to me? She was perfect. I wanted to push her down on that desk and rip that shirt open and just devour her. Her skin was so pretty. It was probably very soft. I needed to touch her. I needed to bury my cock inside her and watch those stunning eyes glaze over with pleasure. I wanted to hear her say my name as I thrust into that tight body, as I sucked on those perky breasts.

"Fuck!" I yelled as I came, harder than I'd come ever before. I collapsed against the headboard and tried to steady my breathing. My eyes remained on Bella. I needed to make her into my screen saver or something. Maybe get a huge poster made to hang over my bed. I'd never sleep again and I'd spend all my time playing with my cock, but there were worse things in life.

I needed…well, a lot of things, but first I needed to clean up and then I needed to thank Bella for being born. I got off the bed and yanked off my boxers before hopping in the shower. I closed my eyes and immediately pictured Bella in all her hot for teacher glory. Jesus. If I hadn't come like a freight train I'd be hard again already.

Focus, Cullen. I washed my body with soap and then shampooed my hair before stepping out, drying off, and wrapping myself in a towel. I went back into the room and there she was on my screen. Shit. I should read her other email and reply. She's probably anxious to hear from me, though she ought to know what my reaction was to her by now.

I sat back on the bed and saved her picture as my background before opening her other email.

_Edward,_

_I can't begin to tell you what your email meant to me. I was afraid that I'd unloaded too much on you and that you'd hate me for it, but here you are making me feel a million times better about myself instead. Thank you, truly. You made me feel better last night without even knowing what had happened, and now that you do, well, you blow me away with your kindness._

Good. I'm glad I made you feel better. God knows you just did the same for me, albeit in a far dirtier way.

_I like the way you looked at my situation and I really hadn't thought of the fact that maybe I should look at it as almost a compliment? That's not the right word, but I can't think of what it is. I do like the idea that he regrets cheating on me and maybe that he's not over me as well. Not that I don't want him to be, but it makes me feel better than if he thought I was nothing and sought to replace me, I guess. Either way, I'm not going to let him get me down anymore._

No man in his right mind would ever seek to replace you. Clearly your ex was an idiot that was dropped on his head repeatedly as a child. That's the only explanation for sticking his dick in anybody but you.

_Since you were honest with me, I'll be honest with you. I'd like to punch your ex in the face, or at very least call her a few choice names. I've never been in a physical fight in my life, but I'd like to think I could get in a good shot and we both know I could get in some great verbal slaps._

How did she do it? How did she have me coming all over myself one minute and then laughing the next? She was amazing. In more ways than one. And I'd pay anything to see her take a shot at Irina.

_I don't know how anybody could cheat on you, let alone turn it around and attack you the way you said she did. And she brought your family into it? I know we could both say you're better off without her but nobody really wants to hear that, even if it's true. She clearly didn't deserve you and my guess is she'll figure that out one day if she hasn't already. Too bad for her, though. She blew it!_

Don't use words like blew with me now that I know what your sexy mouth looks like Bella. And that tongue…you were trying to kill me with that tongue. It'd be worth it though.

_I love the idea of sharing something new in each email! It sounds like you and your brother have a very cool relationship. I don't have any siblings, but I always had my best friend, Alice, growing up. We lived in a small town called Forks and I've known her since we were in pre-school. Now we're roommates. Our other roommate, Rose, is my other best friend and best defender. You don't want to cross her, let me tell you. She's the most beautiful woman I know but she's also the scariest. So, you know, don't upset me or she'll come after you. I'm kidding, except she did seriously say that._

Which one of them took that picture of you? I'll buy her a car. Or a house. Whatever she wants.

Stop it, dickhead. She's saying nice things about her friends and you're thinking about her stupendous tits. It's good that she has friends like that. Focus.

_Now what to tell you about me? I was pretty shy as a kid, with my nose always in a book instead of really out playing and such. Alice dragged me out now and then, but I've always been kind of introverted. Plus, my dad is Chief of Police in Forks and it always served to insulate me a little bit. I've learned to enjoy my own company very well, which is something I imagine you can relate to if you travel a lot._

Her dad was a police chief? And now I knew where she was from. It couldn't be too hard to find out who the police chief in Forks was and get her last name and what? Stalk her? Jesus, what was wrong with me? Maybe I was coming too much and I'd killed my brain cells. She'd promised to trust me and I promised to do the same. I couldn't go searching out information on her. I'd wait for her to give it to me. She'd already given me so much more than I ever would have hoped.

_I love that you think I'm the best part of your day. I hope it stays that way when you get home, but I understand if you're busy with your brother and life and all. I just want you to know that I'm very grateful for your friendship and I'm glad I found you._

_Yours, Bella_

Mine. I lowered her email and traced the picture that was now on my desktop with my finger. Would you be mine, Bella? Would you, if you knew who I was? Or would the fame scare you away?

I was being ridiculous. I barely knew her. But I wanted to know more. And if I wanted to know more, I needed to answer her and tell her just how fucking beautiful she is, in every way.

**Bella,**

**I don't even know what to say right now. I said we'd keep the naughty to the WWF but you didn't send me that picture via WWF, seeing as you can't and all. Before I'm totally crass, I need to say one thing. You are beautiful. Stunning. Even prettier than I imagined and trust me when I tell you I have an active and fertile imagination. I think you already knew that based on the fantasies I've shared with you. You exceeded every one.**

**Okay, time to be the pervert you know and adore. You blew my mind and then I blew my load. No, seriously, I did. I think my hand was on my cock exactly .05 seconds after I pulled your picture up. I hope it's not wrong to share that with you. I've pretty much told you that you get me off with your words, combine it with that fantasy picture and I was done for.**

**Seriously, were you trying to kill me? Maybe you should have just broken it up into various body parts so I could know what was coming before getting hit with the big one. I'm kidding, of course. I love that you sent me a picture and I love that you made my fantasy all the more real. Who took that picture? I owe her (it better be a her) a major debt of gratitude.**

**Knowing what I'm missing while I'm all over the damn world and you're sitting in Washington might be enough to drive me wild. I could/would probably break land speed records were I in California when your picture came, though. Bella, I'm not going to lie, I actually ached with wanting to touch you.**

That was one hell of an understatement.

**Alright, I'm going to try to stop harping on how sexy and gorgeous you are and try to answer your emails. I'm sure your WWF is going to get me hard again so I need to focus while I can.**

What do you have in store for me there, sexy? I can't wait to find out.

**I'm very glad I could make you feel better about your situation with your ex. Even though I don't know you, I feel like I know you pretty well, and I'm 100% certain that the moron didn't want to give you up. Who would? I was wondering if he'd been dropped on his head as a child. Did he play a sport? Perhaps he damaged some vital part of his brain. That's the only explanation.**

**My ex probably deserves some punching. My mother and a few close friends wanted to punch her but I wouldn't let them. Hilariously, they don't even know the full story. They know about her in bed with another man, but not the invitation to join or the things she said. You're the only one who knows that. Is that weird? That I can share something like that with you and not the people I'm closest to? It doesn't feel that way. I felt like I needed to give you that piece of me, just like you gave me yours. Not needed, as in obligated, but needed because I wanted to.**

**She, uh, has figured it out I think? She's on this trip, as is my replacement, and even though they're very much together, she's made moves on me every single day. How insane is that? Like I'd take her back after what she did? She's driving me nuts and you're the one keeping me sane. I love talking to you, do you know that?**

Too much. I missed you all day. I had to leave my phone behind so I wouldn't stupidly read your email in public. Can you imagine if I'd opened that picture while answering questions or walking the red carpet? That would have been very bad, Bella.

**Tell Rose that she doesn't have to come after me! I have only the best of intentions with regards to you. She doesn't need to know that a lot of those intentions are the naked kind, but I imagine she'd approve, especially if she was the one who took that picture of you? Please, set my mind at ease on that front. I really have to know! And while I'm sure she's very beautiful, as you say, I doubt that she's more beautiful than you.**

**I'm glad you have friends like Rose and Alice. My brother has always been just as much of a friend as a brother to me. He drives me crazy sometimes but I know he'll do anything for me and vice versa.**

**So, you grew up in a tiny town called Forks, huh? Are Knives and Spoons close by? Lame joke, I know, but you know that I can be lame from time to time. I grew up in Chicago, so not exactly a tiny town. I loved it there, though. The buildings, the people, Lake Michigan, the Sox, the Bears…my family still has season tickets for Da Bears and we all go to at least two games a year. We freeze our asses off now that we're all used to California but it's a lot of fun.**

**Your dad's a cop, huh? No wonder you're always threatening me with the handcuffs! Not that I'm complaining, but I bet Dad wouldn't approve. Your secret is safe with me though. My dad's a doctor and mom was your typical housewife for most of my life. I notice you haven't mentioned your mother. Is there a reason for that? I don't want to pry, I was just curious.**

**Call it a hunch, but I'm pretty sure you'll still be the best part of my day when I get home. Yeah, I love my brother but he's big and he farts and smells and stuff. He can't compare to you. So yes, Bella, you will definitely hear from me when I get home. In more than one way, I imagine.**

Still working that out, but now that I've seen you; I really want to hear you, too. I'm a greedy son of a bitch, sue me.

**As to your other email, I think I'll buy an apple orchard when I get home. Maybe it should be in Washington, since I'd be supplying you with them daily, even though I like your weapon of choice as well. Perhaps you can punish me for kissing your ass too often. I am a bit of a brown noser. And I'd really love to kiss your ass. Even though that's the one part of you I couldn't see, I imagine it goes with the rest of the sexy package.**

**Alright, I've got to go see what sweet torture you've inflicted on me in Words. It's been a whole hour since I was last hard, after all.**

**Thank you for sharing yourself with me. Both your picture and your words. Every single thing you send serves to make me...**

**Yours, Edward**

That worked. I hope I hadn't harped on her picture too much but could she blame me? It was hotness personified. Damn, I wish I could reciprocate. She said I didn't have to but I wanted to give her something. Maybe one day.

I kept my laptop open to the side of the bed, her saucy look and tongue aimed directly at me as I opened up Words. Tilted? I could think of many directions to tilt her in. I opened up the message window, my cock already hardening in anticipation of what was to come. Man I had problems. Good ones.

_So, you liked that I played wet, did you? Or did you like that you made me that way more? If I was a betting girl, I'd bet on the latter. I know I get off every time you mention me making you hard, so I'm guessing my wet panties do the same for you. Well, if I was wearing panties, that is._

Holy shit, was she not wearing panties under that skirt? What was she wearing under there? Or maybe she was wearing some then but not when she sent me the message. I preferred her to be pantiless at all times, though. And wet. Wet was very good. So was hard, which was what I was, again. Fuck.

_You never have to worry about being too blunt with me, Edward. You can tell me anything you like and I won't hold it against you. Hell, I'd be more likely to add it to my ever growing list of fantasies about you._

I need to hear more about those, Bella. What else is in that delightfully dirty mind of yours?

_You can fuck me all those ways and more. The fact that you have a lot of frequent flier miles excites me to no end. I have never been an exhibitionist before, but you seem to bring out that side of me. One of my fantasies is very public and I have no idea why but it gets me so hot every time._

What fantasy? You can't tell me you have a fantasy and then not tell me what it is, Bella. You're torturing me again, you naughty girl.

_I like smooth, strong hands and I'd make good use of them as often as you'd let me. I'm afraid I might wear you out. Think you could keep up?_

Considering my dick is hard 24/7 since you came into my life, yes, I think I can manage. I'd love for you to try to wear me out.

_I'll be sending you more than my words soon, Edward. I hope they live up to your expectations and that they give you more fodder for your fantasies. Until then, happy thoughts for your happy ending._

Oh God, did they! You exceed my expectations time and time again, Bella. And my ending was very happy, but clearly not an ending as I need to jerk off again before bed. You're driving me crazy.

**I very much like making you wet, Bella. It's kind of my driving force in life right about now, to tell you the truth. And what are you doing without panties? Not that I mind, of course. Easier access for me. Would you like to know what I would do if I lifted that skirt of yours and found you sans underwear? Well, tell me about this public fantasy of yours and I'll share that information with you. See, I can be a tease too.**

I snickered. She'd be pissed that I didn't get explicit, but she could fill in the blanks admirably, no doubt about it.

**Bringing out your exhibitionistic side is my very great pleasure. So many places in this world could be made more interesting by some illicit sex, don't you think?**

What I wouldn't have given to slide my hand under your skirt while my movie played on the big screen tonight, Bella. I've already seen it a dozen times and I'd love to distract you while you watched. Fuck. Yeah, that was making the highlight reel too.

**I have no doubt that I can keep up with you, Bella. At the very least, I'd have a ton of fun trying. Do you think you could handle all I have to give you?**

**You already know that you exceeded my expectations with your sexy picture. Me, and my cock, cannot thank you enough for all the future joy that it's about to bring us.**

**Sweet dreams of me, Edward**

I flipped back to the game and played bring off of hoard. My girl kicked my ass last game, now it was time for some payback. I'd make her ass feel much better after I kicked it. I looked at Bella and reached for my lotion. Time to get schooled.


	9. Chapter 9

What was that noise? I opened my eyes and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. 6 AM? Who was texting me at 6 AM? Did they want to die? Hopefully nobody did die, so I could then kill whoever it was. I reached for my phone and saw I had a text from my brother. Well, that made sense. It was only late night there.

I opened it and a picture of a laughing woman with her head on a pillow pulled up. What the fuck? _Just wanted to show you what you were missing. I'm getting Gianna over her heartbreak._

Ass. He woke me up for that? Yeah, she was hot but she was no Bella, which was who he'd torn me away from while I was sleeping. Screw that. I'd just tear him away from his girl then. I pulled up his number and called his ass.

"Hey, Eddie! Whatcha doing?"

I growled into the phone. "I was sleeping, until my jackass of a brother woke me up."

"Oh yeah. What time is it there? Where are you anyway? Shh, baby, I'll be right with you."

"It's 6 AM, moron. Why are you texting me when you've got a girl in your bed anyway?"

"She's not in there now, that was from earlier. What am I, an asshole? I love you, bro, but I would not be texting you right before I gave Gianna the night of her life."

My brother was never lacking in confidence. "I'm glad you were able to stand in for me."

He let out a booming laugh. "She forgot your name the instant I got her naked."

"That's good. It'd be awkward if she were calling my name with you inside her. I'm sure that's not the first time it's happened though." I grinned as I waited for his response.

"You dickhead. That only happened once and it was right after you hit it big. That chick had major issues."

"She'd have to, to sleep with you."

"Shit, I have them all panting after me. How's…wherever the hell you are?"

I laughed and rubbed at my face. "Germany at the moment, heading to Rome in a few hours. It's fine. Tiring. Irina's being a world class pain in the ass. The usual."

"Yeah, man, I saw that shit on _Entertainment Tonight._ Classy bitch, isn't she? You're better off without her."

I couldn't agree more. "Hell yes, I am, but she's actually still hitting on me on this trip. She asked me to her room the first night. She cornered me on the plane and tried to get me to get back together with her the day before she married James. She was groping me under the table when she announced her wedding. And don't you dare breathe a word of that to Mom. She's already ripped me a new one for not calling her."

Emmett was silent for a couple seconds. "That's fucked up. What's wrong with her? How are you dealing with it?"

Bella. I opened my mouth and had to bite back her name. "Avoiding her as much as humanly possible. Kate wants to beat her up. I just might let her if she tries anything else."

He laughed. "That Kate! She's a scrapper. She and G will keep you sane."

I smiled. "They're doing their best."

"When will you be home?"

Shit, who knew? "I think five days? Tokyo and Sydney are the only two left after Rome but those are long flights." Long flights in which I'd be thinking of fucking Bella in one of the airplane bathrooms. That was not going to be good. Well, it would be good if she were with me, but without her it would just be me being a pervert on a plane. There was another potential porno name. I'd have to send her that one.

"Good. I miss you. Hey, Jane called yesterday, she forgot you were gone."

"Jane? What did she want?" Jane Turner was one of my first friends in Hollywood. She co-starred in my first romantic film and we'd been friends since then.

"She and Demetri broke up. I guess she just wanted someone to unload on. I told her you'd call her when you got back."

"Damn." She and Demetri had been together for something like seven years, since they were still teenagers. That sucked.

"Yeah. She asked me if you were going to the _People's Choice Awards_ on Wednesday night. I think she wants you to go with her, pick her up a little."

The _People's Choice Awards_. Yeah, I'd be home in time. I didn't really want to go but I was up for Favorite Male Star or some damn thing. "I guess I could. I'll call her. Why didn't she call me on my cell?"

Emmett made a noise between a gasp and a groan. What the hell? "Uh, I think she was pretty upset and wasn't thinking. I talked her down a bit, but she'd rather talk to you I'm sure. You're all sensitive and shit. Girls like that when they're sad."

Sensitive? I rolled my eyes. Part of me has been very sensitive lately. "What was that noise?"

"Uhhh, nothing?"

"Emmett, are you fucking around while you're on the phone with me? That's disturbing."

"Damn, man, I didn't do anything. She just reached over and grabbed my cock. What's a guy to do?"

"How about get off the phone with his brother, you freak?"

He laughed. "I told you I'm irresistible. Cut that out, baby."

I heard a feminine laugh in the background. "Tell your brother I said hi."

"She says…"

"Yeah, I heard it. Now I've been woken up and traumatized by you. Congratulations, dickhead."

There was a pause and murmuring and then Emmett cursed. "No, I won't invite him over. Damn woman, that's my brother."

Now I was traumatized and amused. I couldn't stop from laughing. "Yeah, you sure made her forget all about me, Em. So much for your magical healing."

"She has problems, clearly." I heard him moving around and then a door shutting.

"Did you leave her?"

"For the moment. She can't have me while she's thinking about you. That's just wrong."

I laughed. "Yes, it is."

"So, you getting any hot European tail? I know you were giving me shit about Beckinsale but you should totally hit that."

The only hot tail I wanted was Bella. "No tail, Em. I do my interviews and appearances and go to bed." For the most part. I did talk to Bella while in bed.

"Dude, why are you living like a monk? Irina was six months ago. You ought to bang the first hot girl you can find and let Irina know you did it. Call her while you're doing it."

I shook my head. "Not everybody wants to broadcast their sex lives like you, freak. And I don't want some random one night stand. I want…" Bella.

"You want what? Another girlfriend? Live a little, Eddie. You're the king of Hollywood right now. You could have anybody you want, including the damn girl in my bed apparently."

"Your bed? You brought her to our place?" I had nightmares of rifled drawers and pilfered silverware.

"I was speaking figuratively. It's her hotel's bed. That's not the point. Time to ride that horse again, little brother."

Riding Bella. That's what I wanted. Bella riding me, even better. "I'm not just going to bang any girl. You saw what happened with Maggie."

Emmett snorted. "It's a good thing you haven't run into her. Isn't she on tour over there?"

Yes, she was. But I'd made damn sure that none of our cities coincided. "Not funny, Emmett. The point is, I don't need that shit. I need someone real that I can trust. Someone like…" Bella.

"Edward, that's the second time you've cut yourself off. What are you hiding?"

Damn him. He looked like all brawn and no brains but he was anything but. "I'm not hiding anything really."

"Don't lie to me. I'll tell Mom you're hiding something and then…"

Fuck. The last thing I needed was Mom on the hunt. "Alright! There's this girl I've been talking to. We're playing _Words with Friends_ and we started emailing and IMed once. She sent me a picture yesterday and she's incredible." It felt surprisingly good to say it out loud. I had to downplay it for Kate and Garrett so they didn't freak out but my brother wouldn't give a shit.

"How incredible?" he demanded. "Why don't I get hot girls requesting to play with me? I'm offended."

I chuckled. "Because you have enough girls in real life? I don't know. She's gorgeous. Twenty-two, going to school to be a teacher. And she's hot as hell, Em. I joked about the whole teacher fantasy, because who hasn't had that one?"

"Are you kidding me? All those stories about those kids sleeping with their teachers coming out lately piss me off. Where was my hot older teacher, teaching me in and out of the classroom?" Emmett sounded outraged.

I laughed because we were of a like mind on that one. "Exactly. So she sends me a picture last night and Jesus fucking Christ, Em, she's gorgeous. Big brown eyes, long brown hair, tight body. She was wearing this tight white shirt with a black bra underneath, a tight, short skirt and she was holding a ruler and biting an apple. It was the hottest thing I've ever seen."

"Dude," Emmett breathed. "Straight up porn 101. Send me a copy."

Hell no. "Like hell I am. Bella's mine. You get your own teacher."

"Bella, huh? Fitting name. And you're keeping it all to yourself? What kind of brother are you?"

I knew exactly what I was. "A possessive one. There's something about her, Emmett. Beyond the looks. She just, she gets me. And she has no idea who I am, so I can tell her anything and not worry about it biting me in the ass. She's smart and funny and sexy and just, everything a guy could want."

Another beat of silence. "Damn, you're gone, little brother. Where is this perfect woman?"

He was right, I was gone. "She's in Washington."

"Hmmm. Well, that's not too far away. Let's plan a road trip!"

I laughed. If only. "I've only known her for a week and she has no idea who I am yet. I know it's crazy to want her as much as I do after so short a time but…I don't know. I just want to hold on to it for a little longer before I fuck it all up with fame and the press and the women, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it. Hell, bro, people's attitudes toward me change when they hear my last name, I know it's a billion times worse for you because they already know who you are. I understand, but if you do really like this girl, you're going to have to tell her who you are."

I knew that. "I will, eventually. Right now I just want to enjoy being some guy named Edward. You can't imagine how freeing it is to talk about Irina and say what I really think, without using names and such."

"Alright, you enjoy your girl, but when you get home, we're planning a trip to Washington. You can man up and tell her who you are, and then you can ask her if there are any other hot girls in her class so I can get my own hot teacher."

"It's all about you, isn't it?"

He laughed. "It's all about both of us. I got your back, brother."

"I know you do, Emmett." And I felt worlds better for having someone know just how important Bella really was to me. "And I'll think about telling her when I get home." First I wanted to know her a little better and let her know me as well.

"Good. Now I'm going to go drive your name right out of Gianna's head."

Gross. "You do that. Bye, Em."

"Bye, Eddie. See you soon."

I hung up and glanced at the clock. There was really no point in going back to sleep. Garrett would be calling in about an hour anyway. Plenty of time to see if Bella had written. I reached for my laptop and flipped it open. It took ages but I finally saw I had email from her.

_Edward,_

_I have to admit I've been on the edge of my seat wondering what you thought of the picture. And I certainly didn't expect to hear from you so quickly. Are you having trouble sleeping? Is there anything I can do to help?_

Oh, you helped. I slept like the dead after coming a second time. You wear me out, woman, in all the best ways.

_Then again, maybe I didn't help at all sending that picture so late at night. I would say I'm sorry, but we both know I'm not. Did I really make you come that fast? Just my picture without the added words? I won't lie. That had me smiling like I'd won the lottery._

Trust me, Bella. I came like a virgin on prom night. It was ridiculous how fast I got off. I better not do that in person. How embarrassing would that be?

_I'm glad you think I'm beautiful and all those other wonderful words you used to describe me. Occasionally I feel that way but when you live with Rose, who did take the picture and will likely have a list of tasteful gift ideas for you at the ready, and Alice, well, they just both tend to shine and stand out in a way I don't. I'm the quiet one, though I guess the picture I sent you would have you laughing at the very idea of that._

Just don't be shy with me, Bella. Give me all that lurks in your delightfully naughty mind.

_It's true, though. Do you know what I did tonight? Rose dragged me out to dinner after we sent you my picture (though I assure you that I changed first) and she decided to call my ex to tell him exactly what she thought of him, since I never really did. She's pre-med and threatened to use her scalpel on his balls and other delicate man areas. I don't think he'll be sending me anything again. Maybe a restraining order, although I'm not about to go near him. Rose might, though. Told you she was scary._

Scary, maybe. Awesome yes. I owed her for the picture and the ex now.

_Your ex sounds like even more of a piece of work than mine is! Is she really hitting on you while traveling with her current guy? That's incredible. Now I want to do more than punch her. Maybe I can introduce her to Rose's scalpel as well! Sorry, I'm usually a pretty non-violent person but the thought of anybody hurting you makes me see red. You deserve so much better than that._

How incredible was this girl? I loved that she wanted to defend my honor.

_I think it's easier for you to share stuff like this with me, and me with you, because we weren't part of the other's bad experience. Your family and friends knew her; my family and friends knew him and they love us so they were too close to the situation. You weren't there when I went through the pain of Tyler's betrayal and I wasn't there when you discovered her in bed with another guy. We can tell each other stuff that won't set each other off, well, beyond me wanting to hit your ex, of course. I can't help it; I'm protective of my friends. And you are that, now. At least I like to think so._

Definitely a friend with the hopes of being more one day, Bella.

_Okay, enough of them. You're from the Windy City? That's cool. I've always wanted to go there. I'm more of a baseball fan than football but I don't mind either sport. I think it's great that you and your family travel together to go to a game. It must be nice to have that._

_Since you asked, I'll tell you that my mother isn't really in my life anymore, which is why I don't talk about her. She took off when I was three and I get the occasional birthday card or a ridiculous Christmas present that isn't remotely me and that's about it. Last year she sent me a top and skirt that barely had enough material to cover a ten year old, let alone a twenty-two year old. Recent picture aside, I'm generally a jeans and t-shirt sort of girl. She was dating some guy who was only a few years older than me last time I checked, which probably explains the clothes, but I have no idea if she's still with him now._

And now I wanted to hug her again. I could feel the sadness in her words. How her mom could walk away from her was beyond me.

_So yeah, it's just me and my Dad. He's a great guy and did his best with me, but it's not the same as having a mom, you know? I certainly couldn't talk to him about boys. The instant one came sniffing around; he was running background checks on their parents. Okay, I might be exaggerating but he did have a fondness for wearing his gun and holster anytime I went out on a date. He's funny; at least he likes to think so!_

Now, Dad might be a little scary. What would he do if he knew all the dirty things I wanted to do with you, Bella?

_I'm glad that I'll still be part of your day when you get home. And I promise not to fart or smell too much, not that you can tell or anything, but still. It's a good practice to stay away from._

I laughed out loud at that one. She was amazing. Hot and sexy to sad to silly and back again. The total package.

_So you're going to buy an entire apple orchard, Edward? That's a lot of playing, if I give a play per apple. And I would._

I'll hold you to that, Bella. And now my cock was stirring again.

_My ass is pretty fantastic, if I do say so myself. Maybe you'll get another picture one day. Or maybe I should save it as a lure to get you to make that trip north. Hmmm…I'll have to think about that for awhile. Feel free to kiss it anytime you like. It's ready and waiting._

I groaned at the image of her ripe, round ass waiting for me. Fuck.

_I love sharing my words and picture with you. I'm so glad you enjoy them. I enjoy yours just as much, I assure you._

_Now I'm off to see what your words will do to me tonight. I got some brand new batteries just in case._

_Yours, Bella_

Yeah, she was going to kill me. Her and that mysterious little toy. What a way to go though.

**Bella,**

**You know I wouldn't lie to you. When I say you're beautiful, I mean it. When I say you made me come harder than I ever have, I mean that too. I get that your ex probably did a number on your self esteem. As you know, I've been there. But you're beyond my wildest dreams, which you know are pretty wild! Wilder still now that I've met you.**

**I was actually at a function pretty late last night and when I came back to my room, the first thing I did was look for you. And what a surprise I had waiting for me. Thank God I left my phone in the hotel, Bella. There would have been no way I could have avoided looking at your picture and we both know what it did to me when I did. I would have had to find a bathroom as soon as humanly possible. It wouldn't have been pretty. But I would have braved the potential public humiliation in order to see you. And you would have been worth it. No doubt about it.**

I might have had a lot of explaining to do to Kate and Garrett, though. Thankfully I waited. I must have had a sixth sense when I left my phone at home.

**Your friend Rose sounds like a woman to be reckoned with! I'm not going to lie; I got a huge smile on my face at the thought of her telling your ex to stay the hell away from you. I owe her a couple of presents, it seems. Ask her what she wants and it will be hers! And I'm glad you changed first. You would have been responsible for far too many college guys suffering blue balls to be healthy and I would have been madly jealous for anybody to see you like that. Is that wrong? But it's totally the truth. I would hate for anybody to see my hot teacher fantasy come to life.**

Just for me, Bella. You're mine.

**I told my brother about you this morning and told him how gorgeous you are and about your picture. He wanted me to send it and I got mad and jealous at the idea of anybody seeing you but me. The effect you have on me, Bella. You're just…very special to me and I don't want to share you, even with my brother. Does that make sense?**

**How about we turn Rose loose on both our exes and keep one another occupied in much more interesting ways while she cuts off vital body parts? I doubt even their screaming could make me want to turn away from looking at you.**

**You're right. It is incredibly easy to just be myself with you. It's a breath of fresh air for me in ways that I can't describe right now but hopefully one day you'll understand. For now, know that you're my favorite person to talk to. I wish I could in other ways. Perhaps when I get home, you'll let me call you? I don't want to push or anything and I know that giving out your number would require some bigger level of trust but just think about it. I'll understand if you're not ready or cautious or whatnot. You should be! I'd be upset if you were just to blindly hand over your number to any old person you talked to for a week. So, just think about it and let me know.**

Hopefully I wasn't asking too much. She'd already given me far more than I'd given her. But I couldn't give her more yet. I hoped she understood how much I wanted to tell and show her all.

**I'm sorry about your mother. I can't imagine any mother walking away and leaving her kid behind, but it sounds like your dad did right by you, guns and all. That was a little scary, Bella! If he knew the thoughts I had about you, I'd be riddled with bullet holes right about now. But I'd risk it, for you.**

**Your mom missed out on an incredible girl and one day she'll realize that. Would you be willing to try on that outfit that wouldn't fit a ten year old? I'd be happy to give you my honest opinion. I kid, I kid. Sorta. I mean, I wouldn't mind if you did try it on, but I'm more than happy with what you've given me. You're too good to me already, Bella.**

**Since we discussed your mom, I'll tell you about mine. She's fierce. Loyal. Scary. When she heard a little, a very little mind you, about my ex's latest stunts, she called me yelling and ready to kick some ass. I love her, but she scares the hell out of me. I'll tell you a little secret. The best way to freak me out is to tell me you're going to tell my mom on me. My brother just pulled it on me and I spilled my secrets to him. Okay, I told him about you. He knew I was hiding something. I guess I can't even be subtle about you over the phone. You're a dangerous woman, Bella, but I love it.**

**So there you have it. Twenty-five years old and scared of my mom. She's actually one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, but if you cross her, or her children, well, she might borrow Rose's scalpel and get to cutting. My dad is much more even keel. I guess he'd have to be, with her as a wife. He's funny and very smart and just an all around great guy. We're a very close family and we have dinner every Sunday night if we're all in town.**

I missed them. Hopefully we'd do that family dinner when I got home.

**Ha! I'm glad you're going to limit your farting and smelling, Bella. You don't know how loud I laughed when I read that. I love how you can take me from turned on to laughing and back again. You've a special talent, or I'm just especially susceptible to your charms. Either way, it works.**

You own me, in case you couldn't tell.

**I'll buy an entire apple orchard, Bella. I think we'll need one to cover every single one of my and your fantasies, after all. Speaking of those, I have to see if you sent me another on WWF. Off to read that and then I'm traveling to another city but I'll check in with you when I can!**

**You don't need a picture to lure me, Bella; I'm already mentally headed there. Physically, hopefully I can swing it in the near future.**

**Talk to you soon.**

**Your Edward**

I closed out of that and opened my Words app. There she was. Why did my heart beat faster at only the sight of her name?

_When I sent you that message, I was in my nightshirt and nothing else, of course. As to what I was or wasn't wearing under the skirt, wouldn't you like to know? I would tell you but seeing as you left me hanging with what you'd do with what you found, I guess I'm returning the favor._

Her nightshirt. Damn. I wanted to see that. And what was underneath. That would have to wait until I got my ass home, though. I hated this stupid trip. She was so good at teasing me. And I was so hard. Again.

_My public fantasy is entirely too public to actually do, but we have this large quad on campus and, uh, the thought of doing it there while the entire school watched made me hot. I would never do it, mind you, but there's something about being out in the open and not giving a damn who saw, you know?_

Fuck, that was hot. If only I could do that with her. Kate would kill me. It might be worth it. Who was I kidding? It would be.

_I can handle everything you have to give me, Edward. I'd love to handle it with my hands and my mouth and well, you know I want you._

I groaned. Yeah, almost time for a shower.

_I'm glad you and your cock have my picture to get you through your trip. I hope you have enough lotion to handle everything I'm giving you._

_Off to do more than dream about you, Bella._

Jesus, my heart was pounding, my cock was throbbing and I wanted her. I looked at her picture on my laptop again. So fucking perfect.

**Paybacks are a bitch and you always manage to one up me, don't you? I'm dying to see that nightshirt and I'm dying to know what was under that skirt. More incentive to visit, as if I needed any at this point.**

**So you want me to fuck you in front of the entire student body? You are a very dirty girl, Bella. And I love it. I may not be able to swing that, but I'm sure we could find some secluded outdoor spot where I could push you onto the soft grass and fuck you until you screamed my name. How does that sound?**

It sounded oh so fucking good to me. That was for the shower shortly.

**I want you too, Bella. Clearly. I'll take your hands and your mouth and give you mine back, as well as my very hard cock. All for you. What do you say?**

**I have to stock up on lotion at each stop, though I'm going to be using shampoo in a couple of minutes. Whatever's handy. When I get home, I'll pick up a supersized bottle. Why'd I have to meet you when I was on the road? I guess to keep it interesting. And indeed, it has been.**

**Did your toy take care of you? Do you think I can take care of you better? I do. What do you say we test that theory one day soon?**

**Until then, I'll be buying stock in DuraCell and Noxema.**

**Talk to you soon!**

I flipped back to the game and laughed when I saw what I could play. Phone. That was all too perfect with what I'd asked. I still had to figure out the logistics but I had to talk to her. To hear her say my name, preferably when she came. Talk to me, Bella.

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

Rome. It was one of my favorite cities in the world and I found myself watching the beautiful old buildings pass by from the backseat of the limo.

"I love it here," Kate murmured, her head pressed against the glass just like mine was. "In case I don't say it enough, thank you for hiring me and letting me see the world with you."

I grinned over at her. "Just imagine all the places I could take you if you'd ditch the old ball and chain and run away with me."

"Ha. You'd hate each other a week in. She's too controlling and you're too stubborn," Garrett interjected.

Kate laughed and patted his leg. "Maybe, but I bet the makeup sex would be epic."

I laughed but felt my cock perk up at the mention of the word sex. Sex made me think of Bella and Bella made me hard. I also wanted to check my phone and see if she was up yet. Would she send me her number? If she sent it now, would I be able to wait? I really wouldn't have much choice. I dreaded telling her in my next email that I'd be a lot slower to respond the next few days. A fifteen hour flight to Tokyo and a ten hour flight from there to Sydney were going to cut into our time. I felt resentment bubbling at an entire day lost to her. More than that, really, with sleep time factored in. I couldn't wait to get home.

"And just how do you know? First you taunt me with his dick size, then his sexual prowess. Are you two hiding something?" Garrett scowled at me and I just shrugged. I had no idea where Kate was getting her info.

"Irina isn't exactly shy about sharing the details," she supplied with a little grin. Well, that calmed my cock right down.

I groaned and Garrett laughed, the traitor. It would serve him right if I did steal his wife. "Did she really fuck and tell?" Garrett asked.

Kate snickered. "To a point. She would have told me more if I didn't cut her off. All kidding aside, Edward, I don't really want to know what you're like in the sack." Her lips twitched. "Okay, maybe I do a little, but it felt disloyal to get it from the evil slut's mouth, even back when you were together."

"Seriously, she talked about our sex life? Does she still? Damn it, I don't want to know." I closed my eyes, the pretty buildings no longer of much interest to me.

"I can't say that I've had a civil conversation with her since you broke up, but judging from the way she's still eying your dick every chance she gets, I'm thinking it's still on her mind."

"How do you know?" Kate raised a brow at Garrett and he sighed. "Just keep your eyes off the prize."

I laughed and opened my eyes. "Prize? My dick is a prize? That would be one interesting contest."

Kate's eyes twinkled. "There's a publicist's dream. Can you imagine the headlines? _Cullen's Cock on the_ _Block!_ All proceeds to charity." She giggled helplessly as Garrett tickled her.

"You came up with that entirely too easily. I'm disturbed." Of course, my mind was filled with images of Bella winning and yanking me into a private room to claim her prize. She could have it as many times as she liked.

"That's my job," she replied cheekily. I smirked at her. "Well, it's fun to think about!"

"You're not entering," Garrett told her.

"Of course not." She rolled her eyes and mouthed "of course I would" at me. They killed me. Nope, there was only one winner of my cock and she was entirely too far away at the moment. I touched the window and wished I was touching her.

"Maybe his new friend would enter," Garrett suggested.

My head whipped around and I gaped at him. "What?" Was he a mind reader? Damn him.

"Well, that got a rise out of him," Kate murmured. "Looks like you'd be alright with that."

I rolled my eyes and tried to appear casual. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, Edward. Are we blind? You light up when you read anything from her and I swear your hand is on your phone more than mine was on my dick when I was thirteen."

I glared at Garrett. "She's just a friend. We're just talking. There's nothing there." The words were hollow to my own ears and by the way Kate and Garrett glanced at each other I knew they didn't believe me either.

"Hey, man, I'm not asking you as your manager. I'm asking as a friend. I just want you to be happy."

I knew that was true but I didn't care. No matter what they said, they'd want to check on Bella to make sure she wasn't some secret spy or something. I was not going to let them pry into her life. I wanted her to share her story with me, like she already was.

"I am perfectly happy, Garrett. And I'm happy that Bella is in my life as my friend. If that changes, I will let you know." I focused on Kate who was watching me closely. "I want her left alone. If I decide to tell her who I am, we'll go from there. But you aren't to try to look into her, Kate. She shares plenty with me on her own."

"And just what does she share?" Kate's tone indicated she had an idea and I opened my mouth to protest but she held up a hand. "I said I'd leave it be and I will, Edward. You know my opinion on it. If I open up a magazine and find out she ran to the press with something you've said, I will crush her like a bug. That's my job as both your publicist and your friend. Got it?"

I knew better than to argue with that tone. "Got it. And I realize that maybe I'm being a pain about this but it's the one thing I have that's just me. You can't know what it's like to talk to someone who doesn't know who I am, who doesn't have any expectations because of who I am. She laughs when I say something funny because it's funny, not because I'm Edward Cullen and she needs to laugh to impress me. If she knew who I was…" I broke off because I didn't know what to say. I wanted her to know someday, but only after she was so into me that it wouldn't matter and it wouldn't change anything. Was that possible? I just didn't know.

Kate reached over and patted my knee this time. "I understand, Edward. And I hope this girl turns out to be as genuine as you think she is. But if you have any suspicions about her, if you need me to look into her, I want you to come to me."

I put my hand over hers. "I know, Kate. And I'll come to you if I need to." I wouldn't need to, though. Bella would tell me all I needed to know, just like I would her, when the time was right.

We pulled up in front of the first stop of the day, a TV station interview. "Let's go charm the Italians," Kate suggested. Not a problem, as long as nobody said "Bella."

Xoxoxoxox

"Irina, bella, show us your ring." Fuck. Talk about the worst way to say Bella. At least it didn't get me hard. Instead I got all pissed off about the fact that anybody would call Irina bella, even if they meant she was beautiful. She wasn't. Maybe on the outside, but the inside was ugly as sin. The real Bella was beautiful inside and out.

Kate was gesturing behind the reporter's head and I tried to focus. A glance in the monitor showed that I was scowling and I quickly slipped a pleasant smile on my face. Oops. Irina shot me a triumphant smile before flashing her ring and re-telling the engagement story for the billionth time in the last few days. Don't flatter yourself, Irina, that scowl wasn't what you wish it was.

"Edward, is it strange to be with your ex again, now that she's married?" The reporter stumbled over the English words a bit and I gave her a blinding smile.

"Sono estremamente felice per lei. Desidero il suo e James nienta ma il meglio. Forse una certa bella ragazza italiana blocchera' il mio cuore mentre sono qui." Her face lit up and she immediately launched into more questions in Italian, which I answered in kind. Irina got all huffy next to me and I couldn't stop smiling and laughing with the reporter. Thank God my grandfather had insisted upon speaking only in Italian as we grew up. Emmett and I were both fluent. And it made me feel good to say bella, even if I wasn't speaking her name. It was like my own little secret. Maybe someday I could play the interview for her and tell her I was thinking of her when I mentioned beautiful Italian girls.

The interview wrapped and I stood and started to walk to Kate and Garrett when I felt a feminine hand on my arm. I turned with a smile, thinking it was the reporter but there was Irina pouting up at me. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

A quick glance showed that there were many people in the studio watching us, so I couldn't yank my arm away and tell her off like I wanted to. "What is it, Irina?" I asked calmly.

She tucked her right arm into my left and walked slowly toward the exit. Kate was glaring at her and standing by the door, ready to pounce if necessary. "Daddy says that my marriage to James probably won't be recognized in the States."

And I cared because? "I guess you'll have to go down to the courthouse then."

She sighed and stroked my arm. "Well, we could do that, or I could chalk it up to a moment of insanity and do what I really want to do."

I knew better than to ask, so I kept walking and tugged my arm free. "Good luck with that."

She caught my hand and pursed her lips. "Don't you want to know what I want?"

"I really don't care what you want anymore," I told her quietly. Kate approached us and slid her arm where Irina's had been, linked with mine, knocking her hand free. I immediately felt better.

Irina met Kate's icy stare with one of her own before addressing me. "I want you, Edward. Just give me the word and I'll leave James and come back to you."

I laughed, loudly. I could feel everyone's eyes on me but I honestly didn't give a damn in this moment. "How stupid are you? Do you honestly think I'd take you back?"

"Daddy says..."

"I don't give a damn what your dad says, Irina, and neither should you. You married James, you deal with it. It's not my problem. I don't care if you divorce him, if you get an anullment or if you marry him in every country between here and Tokyo. We are done. We're staying that way."

Kate stepped forward before Irina could say anymore. "I believe Edward's said all that needs to be said. If you don't stop harassing him, I will go to the press and paint a very pathetic picture of a woman that can't let go of the past even though she's parading her present and future in front of every single camera she sees. I can and will ruin you. Be sure to tell Daddy that, won't you?" Kate tugged my arm and I followed her, doing my best not to laugh at the expression of rage on Irina's face.

"God that felt good!" Kate shouted when we got outside.

I let loose with the laughter then and hugged her to me. "Yes, it did."

"Well, well, if it isn't my two heavyweight champs. Aro's fit to be tied, let me tell you. Why he thought that would work is beyond me." Garrett clapped both of us on the back and reclaimed his wife when I released her.

"He said something to you?" I asked, waving to the group of fans I saw gathered down the street. We ducked into the car and Garrett chuckled.

"Oh, yeah. He said that James was an idiot that wasn't fit to lick his daughter's shoe and that she needed a real man like you." I rolled my eyes at that. He wanted a man with my career for his daughter, not me. "He's been on the phone with all sorts of government types trying to find out if the marriage counts or not. He may haul her back to France to get it annulled after this tour."

I snorted at that. "I hope she stays married to the guy and that he cramps her style in a major way." Even though I disliked James for obvious reasons, he probably didn't deserve the treatment he was getting. I wondered if her little plea would get back to him. He hadn't been at this interview.

"She deserves nothing but the worst. And we deserve the best. Garrett, my love, what do you say we get some champagne and celebrate me finally telling that Russian cunt off?"

He kissed her hard. "I say that sounds perfect. Edward, will you join us?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "I think I'm just going to chill in my room." I missed Bella. I wanted to read her words and give her my own.

"Tell your girl hi for us. Or don't, since she won't know who we are," Kate said with a giggle. She was positively glowing with triumph.

"Okay, I won't." My girl. I liked that.

Xoxoxoxox

We got to the hotel and went our separate ways. I stripped down to a t-shirt and my boxers and sank onto the bed with my laptop. Holy shit, there was another attachment. Could I wait? I would try. I knew what she looked like now. I should read what she had to say. It wasn't all about her gorgeous face and body. My fingers itched to click the attachment but I yanked them away.

_Edward,_

_I'm very glad you waited to open my email until you were alone. I think we've both learned our lesson on that front, though it would likely be less dire for me than you. I can explain my flushed skin with any number of lies, but your hard dick would be hard to hide and I certainly don't want you sharing it with anybody but me._

Yes, it would be hard to hide and it's all yours, Bella.

_Rose is working on her list of demands as we speak. In fact, thanks to what I'm going to be attaching to this email, you're probably going to owe her even more. I hope you like it. I didn't plan on sending another picture this soon but Rose saw me this morning and just said we had to do it. I argued but to no avail. I figure this is the me you'd see every day were you here, so…yeah. I hope you like it._

Every day Bella? Yes, I very much wanted to see her. My fingers twitched again. Damn it. I needed to read faster.

_I love that you told your brother about me and that you wouldn't share my picture with him. Not that I mind if you do, I mean, I'm not embarrassed by it or anything, but it is just for you. Perhaps someday I can don that exact outfit for you, let you live the picture live and in person. What do you say to that?_

What do I say? Fuck, yes. I will give you anything in the world if you wear that for me in person. I hope you don't expect it to be wearable again after I get my hands on you, though.

_Did you seriously think I would say no when you asked for my phone number? What am I, crazy? Well, crazy in some ways, I suppose, but they're good ones. I would love to talk to you on the phone. As I said, even Morse code would satisfy me. Have you been brushing up on those dashes and dots? They're not necessary because I'll happily send you my number. What do you say we plan on talking when you get back to California? Shall we make a date?_

A date. It had been such a long time since I had one of those, but I could think of nothing more appealing than a date with Bella. Even over the phone, it'd be better than any time I'd spent with Irina to be sure.

_I wouldn't let my Dad shoot you, Edward. I like those dirty thoughts of yours and I'm not giving them up to a few bullets! It'll take more than that to keep me from wanting you._

_My mother is what she is. I've learned to get by. I love that your mom is such a fierce protector. That's exactly what moms should be. Be grateful you have her, even when she oversteps her bounds and sticks her nose in where it's not wanted. I often wished my mom would be like that. Anything's better than disinterest._

I laughed. I could use a little disinterest by the people in my life right now, Bella, but I am lucky and I know it.

_I think it's amazingly cute that you guys have a Sunday dinner. I don't see my dad nearly often enough. No big Spring Break plans this year, so maybe I'll go see him, unless Ali and Rose decide to drag me off somewhere. You never know with those two. Are you spontaneous or a planner, like me?_

Spring Break, huh? When was it? Maybe I could…dangerous thought, Cullen. Rein it in.

_I meant it when I said you could be yourself with me. That's the person I want to know. I'll be patient and wait until you can reveal yourself to me. It's hard to remember it's only been a week since we "met" after all. I can't expect all your walls to be down, because I know mine aren't. But they're severely breached already. I hope that's a good thing._

So good. You just don't know.

_An apple orchard probably wouldn't cover everything in our creative minds but it'll be a good start! I love the thought of you heading toward me, Edward. I hope you make good on that one day, when you're ready._

I'm starting to think I'm getting close to being ready, Bella. Could you possibly be ready for me and everything that I would bring into your world? Would I lose you before we even started?

_I'm going to see what you sent me back in WWF. Did I tease you too much there? Dying to know._

_I was thinking of you when Rose took that picture. Can you tell?_

_Yours,_

_Bella_

And that was all I needed to prod me to open the attachment. She was thinking of me, was she? Well I was thinking of her and my dick was already getting hard and oh, my fucking hell.

She was even more beautiful, although I couldn't figure out how it was possible. The gray t-shirt showed off her lovely curves and the ass, fuck, the ass was just as gorgeous and edible as the rest of her. I wanted to grasp those little round humps and squeeze and caress them, and yeah, maybe bite them gently. Jesus. Her long legs were sexy and her feet were even cute.

Her eyes, those sleepy, bedroom eyes were looking right into me and inviting me join her and my palms were sweating and my heart was pounding and I wanted to crawl through the screen and turn her over and kiss those pouty lips, bury my hands in those soft curls and feel that perfect body come apart underneath me. Fucking hell. Screw Rome. Screw Tokyo and Sydney and all the rest of it. I wanted to go to Washington.

Lotion? Where in the hell was it? Crap, I'd used all my German lotion and hadn't stopped off to buy any Italian. Whatever. I hurried into the bathroom and grabbed the crap they had there. It smelled flowery but I didn't really give a damn. I put some in my hand and got ready to yank off my shorts when it hit me. Maybe I couldn't send her a picture of my face yet, but I could send her something. No, not my dick, I wasn't that stupid. But my hand wouldn't give me away.

I grabbed my iPhone and tried to ignore my throbbing cock for a minute while I snapped a picture of my hand with the glob of lotion. At least she'd know I wasn't lying. I attached the phone to my laptop and let it load the picture while I focused back on my Bella. She was so fucking beautiful. I pulled my shorts off and warmed the lotion in both hands while I focused on her.

I fisted my cock and moaned at the feel of the cool liquid on my cock. Bella wouldn't be cool. She'd be hot and tight and oh so perfect around me. I moved my hand up and down my length as I thought about what it would feel like to be inside her. I'd crawl up behind her and push her legs down, lift that t-shirt up, and reach between her legs and feel that heat as I slid my fingers inside her pussy.

She'd be so wet, just from my touch. I'd push her hair off her shoulder and kiss her graceful neck, running my teeth over her delicate skin, kissing my way up behind her ear, whispering dirty things into it while I sucked on her lobe and pressed my cock against her. Finally, I'd slide inside her, filling her as she choked out my name.

"Is this what you wanted?" I'd ask, thrusting my cock deep inside her. She'd moan and say yes and I'd lift her hips up and fuck her harder, faster. She'd be moaning, panting, coming, tightening around me and I'd say her name as I came deep inside her.

My cock erupted at the same time as it did in my mind. I collapsed back against the mattress and reached for some kleenex to clean up with, my eyes still on Bella's picture as I did. She was incredible and I wanted her. There was no denying that. Maybe it was time to tell her a little more. Not who I really was yet, but maybe I could tell her something.

I rolled over and started to type.

**Bella,**

**You are trying to kill me, aren't you? You know that if you do, you'll miss me terribly and then you'll have to try to find someone as cool as I am to talk to, which isn't remotely possible. I just don't want you to suffer, because if you do kill me, I promise I'll die a happy man.**

**I didn't think it was possible for you to get anymore beautiful, but you proved me wrong. It's a good thing it was me you were thinking of when that picture was taken, because I'd hate to have to kill whatever man was stealing your thoughts away from me. The look in your eyes, Bella...do you want me that badly? I know I want you that much. I'm not lying when I say that my hands were shaking and sweating with the need to touch you.**

**If you look like that on a daily basis, I'm a man in trouble. I'll never be able to get out of bed, which I don't think is a bad thing, per se, but our families might miss us someday. I'm willing to risk it though. I'll hire someone to bring us food a few times a day. Will that work for you?**

**Okay, I have to stop thinking about you in bed because I'll never stop talking about it and I'll get hard again and I really need to give myself a rest before I get carpal tunnel or something. I must reassure you that my hard dick is indeed, all for you, and I'm not sharing it with anyone else. Even though it's killing me not to read your emails and Words throughout the day, I know it's the only way I'll be able to function.**

**Rose is my own personal hero for those pictures. Really, no request is too big. I'll find a way to get her face carved into Mt. Rushmore if I need to. That's how much I owe her for giving you to me through pictures. It means a lot to have them to go with your words.**

**I know you've been very patient when it comes to me not giving you as much as you have given me and I appreciate it. I can't tell you the reasons why I can't reciprocate on the picture front, but one day in the not too distant future I will. You mentioned that I've breached your walls and I want you to know that you've done the same for me. I have reasons why I have to be careful, reasons I will share with you pretty soon. I hope you can continue to be patient with me. This, what we have, is too important to me already and I don't want to lose it, or you. I hope you'll give me a little time to let the wall all the way down. I promise that when I do, it'll be worth the wait. At least I hope so!**

There. That was something, right? Hopefully she'd understand. If not, I'd suck it up and tell her. I wans't going to lose her over my need for anonymity.

**Silly girl, do you even need to ask if I want you to wear the teacher outfit in person? Or the shirt, for that matter? I would find you sexy in sweats and a winter coat. Wear anything, or preferably, nothing, for me!**

**Yes, we have a date. Absolutely. I get back on Sunday night, pretty late, so what do you say to Monday night? I'll probably have to sleep the day away, but I'll be ready for you after you get done with classes and dinner maybe? How about 8 PM?**

**While I'm thinking about it, the next few days are going to be insane, travelwise. I'll be on a plane for over a day and a half of them, so our communication is going to be limited. I don't want you to think I'm ignoring you, I'll just legitimately be unable to email or play WWF for hours on end. My schedule is going to be pretty insane as well, but I'll write when I can. And I'll be counting down the minutes until Monday night. I can honestly say I haven't looked forward to anything like this in quite a long time.**

**I do love my mom, very much. She's definitely the force in our family and the three much bigger males are putty in her capable hands. You don't cross Mom! Perhaps one day you'll meet her and she'll be as fiercely protective of you as she is of the rest of us. She'd like you very much, I'm sure of it.**

Yes, I had just mentioned introducing her to Mom. I was well and truly gone.

**I'm a planner, like you. My brother is the spontaneous one. He'll bring a puppy home without a thought of the fact that we have jobs we travel for, he'll get a tattoo because he happens to be walking past a shop, he'll buy a car because he's in a mood...you get the drift. Hell, when I told him about you he started planning a road trip to Washington just like that. For the first time, I was tempted to throw in with him and just drive up to see you. Would you be excited if I did? Scared? Annoyed? As a planner yourself, you'd probably be irritated. I wouldn't come unannounced and uninvited, I swear.**

Imagine if I showed up at her door and said, hi, I'm Edward Cullen, the guy you've been talking to. She'd faint dead away.

**When is your Spring Break? What do you guys usually do? What do you want to do? Do you want to go home or do you want to go somewhere with your friends?**

What about with me? Should I ask that? No...wait until I talked to her on the phone at least. See if we have the same chemistry there as we do here. Time to wrap it up before I give in to all my desires and just beg to come see her the instant my plane lands.

**I'm more than willing to attempt to wipe out an entire apple orchard with you, Bella. If we use all those apples, well, luckily we can grow more. So keep the fantasies coming and I'll keep coming and so will you! At least I hope so!**

**I hope you enjoy the picture I'm sending. It's nothing like yours, but it is an honest portrayal of me in the moment that I saw your picture. I hope it makes you laugh.**

**Talk to you soon.**

**Your Edward**

I attached my hand picture and fired it off to her. Hopefully she'd see the humor in it and not be pissed that I hadn't sent her my face. I'd told her as much as I dared for now.

WWF time! I opened the app and laughed when I saw she'd played tit. That was fitting. She had great tits. Tits plural wouldn't play. Emmett bitched about that fact constantly.

_Well, Edward, if you opened my email, you've already seen that little nightshirt. And did you see any panty lines? Rose took that picture, of course, and smoothed my shirt down over my body. She got pretty close to knowing I had no panties on. Do you like that? I know you do._

Fuck. Rose smoothed that shirt over her bare ass. I was jealous of Rose. And I wanted to watch her do it. But I also wanted to shove her out of the way and do it myself. Such issues.

_I wouldn't want the entire student body to really see you fucking me, just a passing fantasy that got me all hot and bothered, but yours did the same. I'd love for you to lay me down in the grass and fuck me, making me scream so loudly that we scared all the wildlife away. I have great faith that you could make me do that, Edward._

Oh, I promise to give it the old college try, Bella, in honor of your school.

_I want that very hard cock of yours, filling me, driving me into the bed, the grass, the wall, wherever you want to take me. I'm all yours, in case you couldn't tell._

Fuck. I was going to have to jerk off again. The girl was just too damn good.

_It was nice of you to take a break on the Germans and use some shampoo instead of further depleting their lotion supply. And the thought of you touching yourself in the shower has me reaching for the little blue car. I find it incredibly arousing that I turn you on so easily. It's only fair, since you can make me wet with only one sentence._

Damn I wanted to feel that wetness. I'd give anything, anything at all.

_I think you could ably replace my toy and even outdo it. After all, it only has those two bullets. You have two hands, a tongue and a cock. You win on numbers alone, and I have no doubt you'd bring me pleasure beyond belief._

Yes. No doubt about it.

_Stock up on your stocks and then sell when you come to me. We'll have no need for substitutes then._

Christ! She was perfect. I didn't want a substitute. All I wanted was her.

I flipped back to my letters and laughed when I saw I could play taut. That was fitting.

**I don't know whether to sit back and watch Rose run her hands down your bare ass or throw her out of the room and do it myself. Both are equally good for the imagination, you know, but the possessive asshole in me would have to do it myself. Though we both know the shirt would be going up instead of down if that were the case.**

**There won't be wildlife within a square mile once I fuck you outside, Bella. Hopefully there won't be any cops to come running either, particularly your father. He is far away from your college, right? I'd still risk it, but I'd rather not be shot while making love to you. Or before. I'd definitely have to be with you at least once before I died.**

**I intend to take you all those places and more. How about in the water? How big is your shower? Do you have a pool? A hot tub?**

I have a private beach. I'll have to take you there sometime.

**I can make you wet with just one sentence, huh? Imagine what I can do when I touch you. Did you like my picture? I know it's just a hand, but you seem to like imagining my hands so I thought it might help with your visualization. Imagine that hand sliding down your body, cupping your wet pussy and pressing against your clit. Does that make you wetter? How are your batteries?**

Damn it, I really was going to have to jerk off again. I couldn't get enough of just the thought of her. I probably wouldn't be able to stop touching her if we were in the same room together. I'd be ridiculously clingy. Hopefully she wouldn't mind.

**No substitutes. Just you and me. That's all we need.**

She was all I needed. I closed the app and looked at her picture again. My Bella. Soon.

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

Where was she? Had I made her mad when I told her I'd be writing less for the next few days? No, that didn't seem right. Still, I hadn't heard from her since last night and she'd had the entire day and night to write me back. What had I said? Did the hand picture piss her off? I meant to be cute. Damn it.

"Edward, we're about to take off. Turn off your phone." Okay, so I hadn't been subtle about refreshing the damn thing a hundred times since we'd left this morning. Where was she? I tried once more but no mail, no _WWF_. I reluctantly turned off my phone and scowled at Garrett.

"What's got your panties in a wad?" he asked.

Kate laughed and patted his arm. "Don't you know? You men only look like that when a female's involved. He must not have heard from his friend. What did you do?"

"Nothing. I don't know. I can't think of anything." I wasn't telling them about the hand picture because then I'd have to talk about Bella's pictures and there was no way in hell they wouldn't want to see them. They were for me only. Okay, so I had made the t-shirt pic into my phone wallpaper. It was still only for me.

"Come on, Edward, give us some deets," Garrett pled. I just raised an eyebrow and slid my phone back into my pocket.

What if something happened to her? What if that stalker guy she mentioned attacked her? If I didn't have anything from her when I got to Tokyo, I was going to call Emmett and make him find her. I could get her last name by looking up her dad…maybe I could call him. Jesus, what would I say? Hi, I'm Edward Cullen, yes, the actor, and I've been talking to your daughter for a couple of weeks but I haven't heard from her in a day and I'm worried. Can you call her? Or can I? What's her number?

Yeah, that would go over well. Why not tell him about her sexy pictures and all the dirty things I wanted to do to her as well? He'd probably lock her away and sit outside her door with a shotgun. Maybe that was it. Maybe he knew and she was locked up like some princess in a tower and I had to rescue her. Damn it, I watched too many movies. Good thing I'd turned down that ridiculous prince role. How stupid would I look in tights?

Bella, where are you? Fuck. Kate tapped on my shoulder and I turned to look at her. She held her hand out and I opened my hand to take it when she dropped a couple of little white pills in my hand. "What's this?"

"Sleeping pills. You can't do anything about her right now so you may as well knock yourself out. You can check on her when we get to Tokyo."

I sighed but went ahead and took them, downing them with the bottle of water I had with me. "Thanks."

"No problem," she said quietly. I turned back to look at her and saw her watching me with shrewd blue eyes.

"What?"

"You really like this girl."

I opened my mouth to give the usual platitudes about friendship but they just weren't there. "Yeah, I do."

She nodded. "Have you two talked a lot?"

"Yeah, I mean, we only IMed one time but we send emails and messages on _Words_ a few times a day. I think we've gotten to know each other pretty well."

"Except she doesn't know who you are."

Yeah, except that. "Right. I'm working my way toward telling her, I just want some time."

"I understand. Have you seen her?" Kate asked.

I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face as I saw her pictures vividly in my mind. "That's definitely a yes. Hot damn! She's hot, isn't she?" Garrett grinned. Kate smacked him but she was smiling too.

"She's hot, sexy, gorgeous, just about any adjective you can imagine."

"Let me see." Garrett leaned forward anxiously but I shook my head. "Wait, are they dirty pictures?"

Not exactly but you're still not seeing them. "No. They're just for me."

"Garrett, leave him alone." He pouted but sat back at his wife's command.

My eyes were starting to get heavy from the pills so I turned around and closed my eyes. "You can meet her sometime."

"Meet her? Wow," Garrett said. "You really like her then."

I really did. And I missed her terribly. Where was she? It was my last conscious thought as I succumbed to sleep.

Xoxoxoxox

The instant the plane touched down I had my phone in hand. I just had to see if she'd replied yet. If she hadn't, something was very wrong and I was going to have to take drastic measures to get in touch with her. I pulled up my email and thank God she was there. Maybe I should just look for a second to see if everything was alright. I'd just read the first paragraph to make sure there wasn't an issue with anything I'd said, then I'd save the rest for the hotel. That was no problem.

_My sexy Edward,_

_What lovely hands you have! Or hand, since you only sent one. I want them both, you know. All up on me! Did you really use that lotion after you sent the picture? That's so hot. You just don't know how hot that makes me. I'm extremely hot right now. And I'm naked. I should warn you that I'm drunk and might say something stupid. I hope you won't hold it against me. I hope you will hold IT against me. Hehe Get it? Britney Spears for the win._

"Fuck!" I closed the mail app as quickly as I could because she was drunk and she was naked and she emailed me. Christ, I was going to explode. What else had she said? I needed to know. I needed to open it back up and…

"Edward, let's get a move on." Crap. I picked up my bag and held it in front of me so it wouldn't be painfully obvious that I had a giant erection at the thought of drunk, naked Bella wanting my hands on her. And IT on her. Jesus. I was overheating. She wasn't the only hot one.

"Are you okay? Those pills can really knock you out. You seem out of it." Kate watched me anxiously.

Right, blame it on the medication. "Yeah, I'm just really tired. I can't wait to get back to the hotel." Understatement of the century.

"We'll be there soon," she assured me. I let them lead me through the airport and to the car. My mind was on Bella.

"Did you hear from your girl?" Garrett asked. Did I? Ha, if he only knew.

"Yeah, she's fine." More than fine. Super hot. And naked. And drunk. And wanting me. How in the hell was I supposed to survive the rest of this trip knowing that?

I closed my eyes and willed the drive to be fast. Kate and Garrett talked quietly, thinking I was still in a stupor from the flight, the medication and the time changes. That was sort of true, but Bella eclipsed them all.

"Edward, we're here," Kate told me.

I opened my eyes and practically sprinted from the car. We checked in far too slowly for my liking and I hurried to my room and booted up the computer. Not that I was waiting for that slow bastard to load. I had her email back up on my phone a second later.

_My sexy Edward,_

_What lovely hands you have! Or hand, since you only sent one. I want them both, you know. All up on me! Did you really use that lotion after you sent the picture? That's so hot. You just don't know how hot that makes me. I'm extremely hot right now. And I'm naked. I should warn you that I'm drunk and might say something stupid. I hope you won't hold it against me. I hope you will hold IT against me. Hehe Get it? Britney Spears for the win._

_Oh my God, did I just say that? See, I am drunk. I would never say that otherwise, although some of her songs are kinda catchy. At least we haven't seen her cooch in the past couple of years. Maybe she got her shit together. Do you want to see mine, Edward? Not my shit, that would be gross. But my cooch. Cooch...what a stupid word. I like pussy better, do you? Well, no, I like penis the best, but that's a weird word too. Very unattractive. We'll go with cock. Can I have yours? I really need it, tonight. Why aren't you here? I keep wishing you were, but you're not yet._

"Fuck me." Yes, Bella, I very much want to see it. And I think my cock already belongs to you. God damn, I'm going to explode. I wish I was there, too, baby. You don't even know how much.

_So you liked my picture, did you? I hoped you might. Hot Teacher Bella is inside me, but that bed Bella is me all the time. Well, not all the time. I don't shoot sexy looks over my shoulder all day long. That would be weird, wouldn't it? Who would do that? Someone like Paris Hilton, probably. She practices those pouty looks in the mirror I bet. She looks like a bird though, don't you think?_

She did it again. I laughed out loud at the image of Paris practicing pouty looks. Bella was probably dead on.

_I'm getting sidetracked by people I hate, like Paris Hilton, and not focusing on people I like, namely you. I'm sorry. Bad Bella. I bet you'd like Bad Bella, wouldn't you? Then you could spank me like you talked about. Did you know I've never been spanked before? I didn't know if I'd like it but when you mentioned it I got all hot and bothered, so I think I would. Let's do an experiment and see. Alice's professor would give us an A. Our experimenting skills are much better than hers._

Oh, Jesus. Yes, I very much like Bad Bella and I very much want to spank her. I promise you'll like it. I'll make sure of it. I like to experiment. Christ, my cock is aching.

_Do you know that Alice kicked Jared in the balls today? I know you don't know who Jared is, but trust me when I tell you he deserved it. He actually told her that he would share her with this other guy, this guy that makes her feel as good as you make me feel, except that he doesn't get her off or something. Or he does, but in a romantic way. He doesn't make her scream his name, which is probably good because she doesn't know it. So, Jared told her that she could see the first guy, the romantic one, and then come to him for fucking! Would you do that, Edward? Would you share me with someone else? I'd have to kick you in the balls if you say yes, so answer carefully. Well, actually, me telling you that might change your answer, so forget I said it!_

What? She doesn't know his name? That's random and very confusing. But drunk Bella was damn adorable and I wanted to be with her right now. I wonder what she'd say and do with me in the room? Fuck, I need to know this.

_Anyway, she kicked Jared and then we came home and watched Girl Power movies and drank. A lot. And Alice and Rose made me leave my phone in my room so I didn't get to talk to you all day long. And that sucked, because I missed you. And now you're going to be on a plane for a billion years and I have to miss you for longer. I hate your trip. I mean, I love it, because that's where I met you. If you'd been home when I asked you to play with me, would you still have? Or would you have been too busy with life and work and family and girls and stuff?_

I miss you, too. It's crazy how much. And I hate my trip as well. I hate being this far away from you and I don't even know you. It's so weird but so true.

_I'm whining. I'm sorry. But I thought you would want to know that I would miss you. You're the best part of my day, just like I'm yours. Unless you were kidding when you said that. I hope not, though. Wow, it's a good thing that this email shows me my mistakes! You should see how many red lines I'm getting. But you won't, because I'm editing myself. English teacher in me won't let me send misspelled words, even when I'm drunk. I'm that good, Edward! I'm good at a lot of things. Wanna see?_

Yes. I want to see. So badly.

_I wanna see you. I loved your hand picture. And I understand why you can't send me more and I'm not mad. I'll give you time. Where would I go? I'm all yours, you know. You breached the wall. I hope you know what a big deal that is. The wall has kept me sane for the past six months, kept me safe. But I don't want to be safe with you. I want to be open and take chances and get down and dirty. I want it all with you._

All? Do you really? Do you know what that even means to me? I just, God I want you, Bella.

_By all, I don't mean marriage and stuff. Don't be scared. I mean, I want that someday but I'm not that crazy to think that you'd want to marry some random girl you don't know. You could marry just about anybody, I bet. I'm just glad you're in my life. I hope you stay in it for a good long time. I'd say forever but that would be silly and then take us back to marriage which we are not discussing. That's insane. Alice thinks about marrying her nameless guy but I'm not that crazy. I just want to do dirty things with mine. And you're not nameless. You're my Edward._

I am your Edward and things that should scare me right now aren't. I just want to touch you and hold you and know you're mine. Is that too much to ask?

_I'm getting too babbly and probably going to scare you away so I should end this here. I think I'll get out my blue car and think about those sexy hands touching me instead of my bullet. Could you send a tongue picture? Oops, Bad Bella appearing again. But that is my favorite thing, just so you know. Oral sex is the best thing ever. Who thought it would be a good idea to put their mouth on a cock or a pussy anyway? That person was a genius. Do you think it was a Bible person? Or a caveman? Oooh, caveman. That would be sexy. You could throw me over your shoulder and take me someplace and ravage me. So hot._

She was officially going to kill me. I would die of a heart attack at the age of twenty-five and the world would wonder why but the cops would read this email and they would know. They would totally get it. I'd be the first sexually induced heart attack for a person my age. At least I thought so. Ravaging and tongues and oral sex and damn...what a way to go though.

_Okay, I'm leaving now. I'll regret this in the morning. I hope you're laughing at my drunken ramblings. I would laugh but I'm too horny. Off to read your WWF. Did you send me something naughty? I will go see._

_Love,_

_Your Bella_

Love, my Bella. Love my Bella. Why did that sound so good to me? That was stupid. But I could fall for her. I knew it. It would be so easy. She was amazing and perfect and so much fun. God I wanted her. Should I wait or should I read her WWF now? Better induce the aneurism quickly.

Tease? Hahah How fitting was that word? Pure perfection right about now.

_My ass is all yours, Edward. Rose can't have it, though sometimes she says she'd like it. Why do you boys all get excited by that? She totally never would take me, but we like to joke about it. She's hot, too. You'd get off on the image, trust me on that. Do you want my ass, Edward? Are you into that sort of thing? I admit, I never thought about it but it just hit me that some guys totally want that. Do you?_

Holy fucking hell. She didn't just…she did though. Would she? Would I? Of course I would. But should I? Holy shit.

_My Dad is several hours away. You'd be safe to make me scream. I want you to make me scream. It'll be your name I call when I come in about two minutes. Seriously, that's how good this toy is. Well, that and thoughts of you combined._

Two minutes? God I wanted to hear her come. Would she do it on the phone with me? How do I go about asking her to do that? I need to hear her scream my name though.

_You're definitely not allowed to die without fucking me. You're not allowed to die at all. I would miss you too much._

Alright, I won't have my heart attack until after I fuck you. Then I will at least have died a happy, fulfilled man.

_No hot tub, no pool, but I do have a shower and tub. And I looooove the idea of water sex. Could you lift me up in the shower and just fuck me against the wall? Are you strong enough, Edward? I hope so, because that's what I'm getting off to tonight._

God, yes, I am. I'll get off to that tonight too, Bella. No doubt about it.

_Your hands would no doubt make me quite happy, maybe even as happy as your words do. My batteries are charged and so am I._

_You are all I need. I can't wait until your words are reality._

Me either, baby. I am seriously going to have to take a look at my schedule when I get home. Maybe I can free up your Spring Break week and I can tell you who I am and then lose myself in you for seven straight days. I'm going to need at least that much time. There's no doubt about it.

I needed to respond to her before I took care of my cock. I was going to take a shower and picture Bella wet and naked and ready for me as I slid into her. Fuck. Spring Break better not be far away.

**My adorably sexy, drunk Bella,**

**Hey, beautiful. How are you feeling? Hopefully better by this time and I pray to God that you're not sorry for sending your email. It was the best I've ever received, drunk or sober! And it has me cursing the distance between us and dying to be with you. You were really naked when you wrote to me? Do you know what that does to me? It's a good thing you ordered me not to die, because my heart was ready to give out at that image. But I can't die without having had you, and I won't. I promise.**

**That Britney Spears song is catchy and I want nothing more than to hold IT against you, other than to slide IT inside you and make you see stars. What do you think of that plan?**

**Pussy is a much better word than cooch and I can think of nothing I'd like to see more. But I know I have to wait until I can see you in person for that, which I'm more than okay with. I've been meaning to ask you, when is your Spring Break? I'm thinking I need a real vacation and maybe, if our phone talks go well and you want to, of course, maybe I could come to Washington? I have much to tell you before I do, but I just wanted to float the idea out there and see what you thought.**

There. I'd mentioned it. Worst case scenario she says no and crushes my heart. Shit.

**I loved your picture. Both of them. Fantasy Bella is obviously hot but real Bella is even sexier, all rumpled and looking like she wants to be had. I want to have you, Bella. Have no doubt about that. And I have no doubt that you would like the spanking I gave you. It wouldn't be too hard, just enough to turn your cheeks pink and have you panting for my cock. Want to give it a try?**

I do. Man, do I.

**I don't know who Jared is, but if he was honestly stupid enough to be willing to share your friend with another man, then he deserved it. Even without the threat of a kick in the balls, I can assure you that I wouldn't share you, ever. Just the thought of that makes me angry. You turn me into a posssessive bastard, Bella, even if I don't have a right to be. I can't help how I feel though, can I?**

**I missed you too. More than you can possibly know. When I didn't hear from you before I got on my flight, I was panicked that something had happened. I'm glad you were just drinking and watching Girl-power movies with your friends. I wish I could have watched with you and then dragged you away to have some fun. Would that have been okay?**

**I would most assuredly have played with you and when you left me your adorably rambly message, how could I not respond? If I had been home, the only difference would be that I would probably already have come to Washington to meet you and hopefully kiss and touch and make love to you, if you wanted me to.**

**You've breached my wall as well, Bella, and I'm glad for it. I didn't know how much I needed you until you appeared in my life with your sweet, sexy words. I'm addicted to you now, even more than I'm addicted to** _**WWF.** _ **So keep on giving me my hits, okay?**

**You're not going to scare me off. I can't imagine anything you could say that would do that!**

**A tongue picture? Oh Bella, you killed me with that one. I can't say I know who invented oral sex. I wonder if Google has the answer? I might just have to look that up later and send a thank you to their relatives. Or a tasteful present or something. What is a tasteful present for oral sex? Let me guess, a tongue picture? Haha I'll see what I can do on that front. That might be hard to self-take and I'd have a hard time explaining why I needed a picture of my tongue to my co-workers.**

**For the record, oral sex is my favorite thing to give. So I think we're well matched, not that I didn't know that already.**

**Thank you for this email. You took the edge off my day and made me feel good again. I adored it, much as I adore you.**

**Love,**

**Edward.**

I stared at my last sentence and my signature. Was it too much? She had to know that I adored her though, right? I would not be considering giving up my anonymity and flying to meet her if I didn't. I wouldn't be dreaming of her, fantastizing about her or thinking about her every spare minute of my day if I didn't.

She said love, I said love, it was cool. I didn't say I loved her, which would be ridiculous. I knew I could love her, but I had to know her better and actually see and touch her and stuff first I think. You couldn't fall for someone over email and _WWF._ That was silly. So it was fine. I could send love and it just meant love talking to you, love knowing you, not love you. Okay, fine. I'm sending it. There.

Okay, now to _WWF._ I played off her tease, using my r which was fitting because she was a champion teaser. I played rig for a triple word score. Ha, I was actually beating her 75-34. She must have shitty letters. Or she didn't care and was purposely playing things that would drive me crazy. More than likely.

How the hell do I respond to her ass comment without sounding like a world class pervert? Truth, I guess. The truth, tempered a bit so I didn't sound like a freak.

**I very much want your ass, Bella.**

Oops, that wasn't what I was going for.

**I mean that in the non-literal sense. For the literal, uh, well, as you pointed out I'm a guy and I more than likely wouldn't say no, but I think that's something we'd have to come to a mutual decision on when we knew each other a lot better.**

God I sounded like a stick in the mud. Or like I had a stick up my ass, instead of...quit it.

**Okay, what I meant to say is yes, I would like that, someday, with you. If you wanted. If not, that's cool, too. I just want you, anyway I can have you.**

That was better. Ridiculously rambly, but how was I supposed to respond? Yes, I'd love to fuck your tight ass? It sounded good in porn but I wasn't sending that via _WWF,_ no matter how dirty we got. I did, though. I have real problems.

**Did you play after you got done writing me, baby? And did you scream my name? I can't tell you how badly I want to hear you do that for real.**

**I would be more than happy to lift you up and fuck you in the shower, Bella. In fact, in about two minutes, that's exactly what I'm going to be doing mentally while I'm jerking off in the shower. I'm going to pretend you're right there with me and I'm sliding inside your wet, hot pussy as you moan my name. I'll push you up against the cold tiles which will make you gasp and tighten around me and I'll kiss you and fuck you as the water beats down on us. Does that work for you?**

**You're all I need as well, Bella. I can't wait until our words are reality either. Hopefully very soon.**

I closed the app and stood on shaky legs to head to the shower. One day, there'd be a naked Bella in there waiting for me. I couldn't wait.

Xoxoxoxox

Tokyo was a blur of media, crowds and craziness. Before I knew it, it was time to board another plane to head for Sydney. I barely had time before we left but I had to see what she'd said about Spring Break.

_Edward,_

_I can't begin to tell you how glad I am that I didn't send you scurrying off into the night, never to be heard from again. I was mortified when I read my email to you. I'm not usually quite that ridiculous. Well, I guess you know that. But I'm glad you enjoyed it and didn't run. Truly glad._

_I'm feeling okay, although the three of us were worse for the wear this morning. We didn't go to one class between us! But I feel better now, which is what matters. It was a hell of a night. Rose broke up with her boyfriend over it, I guess. And Alice, well, you know what her day was like apparently. And I woke to my email and a fear that I'd frightened you away. What a group we are!_

_I am 100% amenable to your plan of holding IT against me and putting IT inside me. And I still cannot believe I used a Britney Spears song to hit on you. But you liked it well enough, didn't you?_

_My Spring Break is in two weeks; well, two weeks from Friday, so just about two weeks. And I'd be thrilled if you came to visit. If you want to, that is. I'm sure we could find some fun things to do, or we could just hang out and do…whatever._

_Wow, it's kinda scary when it's real, isn't it? I do want it, everything we've talked about, but now that you might actually come here it's almost hard to say it. Which is ridiculous because I already did say it and I meant it. And I mean it. Ugh. Okay, moving on._

_Spanking, yes, I think I would like it. I think I would like most anything with you. If your words turn me on, what will the rest of you do? I may not be coherent after a week with you, but that's okay. It'll be worth it._

_I love that you're possessive of me. It makes me feel like you want me as much as I want you. I'm glad you miss me too. It seems weird but it feels right, doesn't it?_

_I'm sorry about the tongue request. That was…incredibly bad of me. How about we save that to surprise me with when you visit? There, I just sucked it up and got more comfortable. Oooh, I said suck. Do you like receiving as much as you like giving, Edward? I believe in fair play, after all._

_You adore me? I adore you right back. So much. Maybe too much. Time will tell._

_Have a safe trip and I'll talk to you when I talk to you. Know that I'm thinking of you even when we can't talk._

_Love,_

_Bella._

Holy shit. Two weeks? Could I really touch her in two weeks? Maybe do more than that?

**Bella,**

**I think I could work with two weeks from now. We'll talk about it more when I'm home and can look over my schedule and see what I can do. Mostly, I just can't wait to talk to you and hear your voice.**

**I'm catching a plane in about five minutes so I don't have a lot of time but I will say that again, you leave me with visible evidence that you turn me on. Sucking...yes, I do love that word. And fair is fair. I think we're very well matched and I look forward to seeing what we're like together. I have a feeling it'll be better than I can even imagine.**

**I love that you're possessive of me as well. I guess we'll just have to never let go of one another.**

**I'll talk to you as soon as I can. Know that you're on my mind and in my heart, always.**

**Love,**

**Edward**

That would have to tide her over until I got to Sydney. And then home. I'd be just two states away then. Could I make it two weeks? That was going to be the real challenge.


	12. Chapter 12

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty." Something hard hit my shoulder and I groaned and tried to bury my head in my pillow.

"Go away, Emmett."

"Oh no, little bro, I got your phone and your computer, now get up and tell me what all this is for? I know it has to do with that girl that's got you all worked up, but I want details. Now."

I flung my hand up and tried to burrow under the covers further. It was bright but I still needed a good few hours before I would be ready to get up. My internal clock was all sorts of fucked up.

"Fine. You might want to charge the phone if you're using it tonight, though." I felt around for it and then felt my bed shift as my brother put his significant weight on it. "I'll do it, loser. Your laptop, too. Guess I can take the old one, then?"

Right. He could take it, that stupid piece of shit that took so long to load that I nearly had an aneurism. Why else would I be getting a new one? The only thing on there was….Bella! I shot up and reached out blindly. Emmett laughed and danced out of my reach, clutching my computer in his hands. It was open and he'd turned it on. "What are you hiding?"

"Give it to me, Em." I was groggy and I tried to get up but my legs were tangled in the covers and I was having a hard time moving.

"I just want to see….holy fuck, is that her?" I groaned and stopped struggling with the covers. It was too late now.

"Yeah, that's Bella."

"Well, shit, no wonder you're obsessed. She's the hottest thing I've seen all week, and I banged Gianna before she went back to New York two days ago."

I glared at him. "Do not talk about my girl like that."

"Your girl? Well, isn't this interesting." He dropped onto the edge of the bed and I could see Bella's picture over his shoulder.

"Yes! No! I don't know what she is, but I don't want you looking at her like that."

"She's covered, barely. And she's hot as fuck. Look at those tits!" I elbowed him and he grunted and turned to grin at me. "Seriously, she is hot. Let's go up to Washington to meet her."

"I'm going up to Washington and you're staying here." Oops.

An eyebrow lifted. "You are? You've gotten that far with her? Does she know who you are?"

I sighed and shook my head. "Not yet. I was waiting until after we talked at least once. I want to see if we have the same chemistry there as we do in email and stuff. If it's all weird and awkward, maybe we'll need to slow down." I loathed the very idea of that. I wanted Bella to know me and I wanted to see her and touch her and kiss her and do all the dirty things we'd discussed, but even without all that, I just wanted to talk to her. She made me smile and laugh. I needed that. I needed her.

Emmett was watching me with interest. "So, you had me get you the phone because you want to call her from that instead of your regular phone? Smart." I thought so. It wasn't that I didn't trust her. I did. But if she found out who I was and she freaked out, I didn't want her to have my private number to run to the press with or whatever. I didn't know. This was all so weird. "What makes you think she won't know it's you?"

I shrugged. "Why would she?"

Emmett snorted. "Uh, maybe because every single article about you mentions your velvet voice, whatever the fuck that means, and how you can make girls come just by saying hello."

I stared at him. "There has never been an article that said I could make girls come just by saying hello." The velvet voice stuff was true enough, and I didn't get it either. I mean, I had an okay speaking voice but it certainly did not make girls come. Maybe it could make Bella come. That would be okay. And I was getting hard again. Great.

"Okay, maybe no official article said that but I've totally seen it online." Ugh. No wonder Kate banned me from Googling myself.

"You're disturbing. Why are you looking me up online?"

"I need to keep my finger on the buzz around you. What if you're no longer the flavor of the month? I might have to make alternative living arrangements." He laughed when I kicked him through the sheets. Jackass.

"You might have to do that anyway, jerk. Give me back my computer."

"Relax, I don't want your girl. I mean, she's hot, but you're so gone over her you're getting new phones and computers. I can't compete with that, even if I wanted to."

"You couldn't compete with me for Bella. She wants me."

"I'm sure she does. Just what have you been telling her?" He waggled his eyebrows at me and I shook my head. He wasn't going to get that information. "Well, clearly you told her about the teacher fantasy. You already admitted that, and then she goes and gives it to you. That's awesome. I like this girl. When are we going to meet her?"

"I am going to meet her in two weeks, provided things go well on the phone tonight. She has Spring Break."

"Awesome! Let's go to Cabo. Or Ft. Lauderdale!" Typical Emmett, he was raring to go.

"We are not going anywhere. Why do you want to come anyway?"

"Um, have you seen your girl, Edward?"

So many times I could picture her with my eyes closed and see her perfectly. "Yes."

"Well, it's a proven fact that hot girls are friends with hot girls. It's like a rule. They hang together in packs. And if your girl is this hot, then her friends have be nearly this hot. Therefore, I need to meet them." He said this like it was the most logical thing in the world.

"First of all, I don't know where you got that but I doubt it's true."

"It's absolutely true. Girls are competitive. They like to out-hot each other. Everybody knows this."

I just stared at him. "Whatever. Second, we haven't solidified anything yet. We still have to physically speak to one another and then we have to make plans. I don't know if we can really hang out at her place during Spring Break. Me in a college town might not be the best idea."

Emmett lit up. "Exactly! So we'll go somewhere private! You, me, Bella and her hot friends. We can rent a house or something."

"Why are you so anxious to go, beyond the hot girl thing?" He was way more interested in this than he should be.

Shrewd blue eyes cut through me and his smile faded. "Okay, simple fact. You're a celebrity. You don't know this girl. Yes, you think you know her and you like her and that's great. But she could be a raving psycho and there's no way I'm letting my little brother head off to God knows where with God knows who. You may not think you have a need for a bodyguard but you do. You can either hire some random person you don't know or you can take me along. I'm a hell of a lot more fun and if she's cool, I'll leave you two be."

I blinked in surprise at the vehemence in his tone. "Em, she's a twenty-two year old girl. Not Kathy Bates in _Misery."_

"You don't know that. You don't. Maybe she's part of some secret ring that lures men out to nowhere and chains them in the basement and forces them to have sex with them and all their friends because they're a weird cult that want to have babies together and…wait, that wouldn't be so bad." I laughed as he grinned at me. "Seriously, though, you need to be careful. It's either me or Gambino the Goon. You pick."

"Emmett, you're nuts. I'll be fine. I'll just go and…"

"I'll tell Mom if you go alone." The look of triumph on his face said he knew he had me.

Shit. "You wouldn't."

He smirked. "Wouldn't I?"

Damn him. "Ugh, fine. I'll talk to Bella about it. We haven't solidified anything other than I might visit and when. It has to be then, because I start shooting _Steele_ next month and it's back to Europe." I was going to be far away from her again. If we hit it off like I thought we would, that separation might very well kill me.

"That's all I ask. Once she knows who you are, she's not going to be surprised if you need to bring someone." He smiled. "First Washington and then Europe. The Cullen brothers are getting around."

I grinned back. One of the best things about the _Steele_ movies was that Emmett did the stunts in them. He wasn't my stunt double, because he was too big, but he always stood in for the bad guy in the film, plus he coordinated everything. He was the best in the business. "It'll be good to work with you again."

"Yeah, just don't blow me up. Mom will be pissed if her favorite son dies keeping her other son's movie career alive."

I snickered. "You keep telling yourself that."

"I know what I know." He looked at Bella again. "And I know why you're so damned determined to go to Washington if this is waiting for you. What do you know about her friends?"

I rolled my eyes. "Her roommates are named Rose and Alice. Rose took this picture, apparently."

"Hot," Emmett decided. "She's got a good eye."

May as well have a little fun with him. "In the other picture Bella sent me, which you're not seeing," he scowled at that, "She's on her stomach wearing a t-shirt and nothing else. Rose apparently smoothed it down for her."

Emmett's eyes widened comically. "Really hot. Is she a teacher-to-be too?"

I tried to remember what Bella had said about her. "She said she was loyal and the most beautiful girl she knows."

Emmett whooped. "I told you! Hot girls band together!"

"She also said she's the scariest and she threatened to injure me if I hurt Bella."

He nodded with approval. "Feisty. I like it. Maybe I can distract this Rose for you."

I laughed. "You might need to. She hasn't talked about Alice as much but she said she's her oldest friend and she just kicked some guy in the balls because he told her she could date some other guy as long as she fucked him or something."

Emmett let out a low whistle. "Double hot! See! You need me there! Those two could take you down and take you out before you even laid a hand on this Bella."

"So you're willing to take the beating for me?" It might not be so bad, really. We'd each have friends around to make us more comfortable.

He laughed. "I'll wrestle with two hot girls for you. But I might have to get a cup or something just to be safe."

"Better safe than sorry," I told him.

"Seriously, it'll be fun. I'll keep the friends busy while you and your girl get to know one another a lot better." He waggled his eyebrows again. Ugh. That was a problem. How would we get privacy in her apartment?

"Don't be thinking you're going to bang both of Bella's friends. Even one is too many." She'd get pissed at me if he screwed and then screwed over one of her friends. I loved my brother but he was hardly the settling type.

"Hey, I can't help it if they'll both want me. Isn't college about experimentation? Maybe they're into threesomes."

I chuckled. "You're watching too much porn again."

"A guy can dream, Edward."

"Hands off the roommates." He just grinned. "Give me my computer, you gave me an idea."

He handed it over this time and I brushed a finger over Bella's cheek before pulling up the net. "What if we went to the mountains and got a cabin or something? It'd be quiet and isolated." I pulled up Mt. Rainier cabins and there it was. "Lazy Bears Creekside Cabin. Sleeps ten. Four bedrooms, a hot tub, a fire place, a pool table…"

I broke off as he shouted with joy. "You had me at hot tub, dude. We're there."

I laughed. "It's a three hour drive from Seattle, so we can easily fly in and drive there in the same day. I'll have to run it by Bella."

"You run it by her, I'm making reservations. We can always cancel if need be. This place looks pretty badass. A room for you and Bella, a room for each of her friends and a room for me when I'm not going between her friends' rooms. Perfection."

"Keep on dreaming, Emmett." Though the idea of sharing the master bedroom with Bella was very appealing.

"If you don't dream, you don't achieve, Edward. When is Spring Break?"

"Uh, two weeks from last Friday."

"I'm on it. You go back to sleep so you can be ready for your girl later. You look like shit. Don't do face time."

I smirked. "I can't do face time until I tell her who I am."

He stood, my laptop in his hands. "What are you going do to about your voice?"

I shrugged. I hadn't really considered it. "I'm an actor, so I can act."

He laughed. "What, you're going to do an accent? Will you be French politician? A British musician? Or a southern gentleman?" He put on all these ridiculous voices and I glared at him.

"That's just dumb. She'd be pissed when I did come clean. I can talk a little higher or a little lower."

"Or you could just talk like you and see if she recognizes you." I could. That had been my plan until he started worrying me about it.

"I might." It would be interesting to see if she did recognize me and what she'd do if she did.

"Alright, I'll arrange our trip. Plug in your phone and rest up for your girl."

I knew arguing with him would be useless. If Bella didn't want to do it or if we didn't hit it off, we could always cancel as he said. I felt a pang at the thought of us not hitting it off. That wasn't possible. It just wasn't. I plugged in the phone and lay back down. We'd find out soon enough.

Xoxoxoxox

A ringing phone cut through my sound sleep and I groaned and searched for it. I opened one eye, squinting against the sunlight, and picked it up, smirking when I recognized the ringtone. "Janie's Got a Gun" was for one person only.

"Hey, Janie," I rasped into the phone. What time was it? 2:30 PM. I'd had about twelve hours sleep, even with the interruptions. Not bad. I might be almost human tomorrow.

"You sound like you're having sex or I just woke you up. Please be the latter," she begged.

I laughed and brushed my hair out of my eyes as I sat up. "Yeah, sadly it's the latter. How are you?" I'd yet to talk to her since Em told me about her and Demetri. The time differences had us playing phone tag.

"I've been better but I'm surviving," she replied. I heard the sadness in her tone.

"What happened?'

She snorted. "You know that new girl on his show? Hot blonde with a killer body?"

I searched in my memory banks for her name. "Something weird. Wren?"

She laughed at that. "Renata, with only one name, of course. Young, beautiful and stacked. Did I mention young? Yeah, well, she happened."

That sucked. "I'm sorry, Janie. I don't know much about her but you're way prettier."

"That's the thing. She's me about ten years ago. Same color hair and eyes, same body albeit _enhanced_ ," she hissed the last word and I felt myself smiling. "She's Jane 2.0 but younger. Clearly I'm too old for him."

"Jane, you're twenty-seven. That's not too old."

She sniffed. "In Hollywood, that's practically ancient. Next thing you know they'll be asking me to play some teenager's mother. You wait and see, Edward. I'll be Justin Bieber's Mom in his debut film."

This time I did not hold back a laugh. "You're only nine year older than him I think." I really didn't know how old that kid was. I really didn't want to. "And didn't he have some movie already?" I vaguely remembered something about it in the trades.

"Yeah, but that was like his life story or something. I'm talking about the inevitable teen romance movie, in which he's the school stud," I snorted at Bieber being called a stud, "and all the girls want him but he'll fall for the nerdy girl played by Emma Roberts or Emma Stone or whoever the teenager du jour is at that time. You mark my words; I'll get a script to play his hip mom."

"Well you'd be the hippest since you would have conceived him when you were eight. Slut."

She sighed. "I wish. Do you know how long it's been since I've been laid?"

Uhhhh, no. "I don't really think I want to know that, Jane."

"Stop being such a prude, Edward. Let's just say the sex dried up before the relationship officially ended. Now I know why. Have you seen the latest _Us Weekly_? They're making out at some bar."

Though she was trying to sound flippant, I heard the pain beneath the words. I remembered how I felt the first time I saw Irina plastered all over some guy in magazines. And I hadn't been in love with her. Jane had loved Demetri forever just about.

"I'm sorry, Janie. Anything I can do? Kick his ass? Better yet, send Emmett to do it?" He was bigger, he should do the hitting. I had to get with Alec and train some more before I got in any fights, on or off screen.

She laughed lightly. "He already offered. I'd rather not call attention to how pathetic I am. That's why I was hoping to take the hottest guy on the planet with me to the _People's Choice Awards."_

"We both know you don't think I'm hot," I told her.

She laughed. "Conceited much? Maybe I wasn't talking about you." I waited. "Okay, so I was, and I do so think you're hot, in a 'he's my little brother, stop drooling over him sort of way.'"

I grinned. "That could be insulting but I'll choose to take it as a compliment."

"Good, does that mean you'll be my date?"

I hesitated. Yes, Jane and I were just friends but the press wouldn't let that stop them from speculating, which meant Bella was likely to catch wind of it, not that she knew who I was yet. But when I told her, would she remember me dating Jane while we were doing whatever it was you'd call what we were doing and get mad? This was so complicated.

"Hello, anybody home? I just asked you out, Edward, the least you could do is pretend to be flattered."

"I am, but…"

"Who is she?" she demanded.

Damn it, why did everybody read me so quickly? "What?"

"The girl? Why are you hesitating? You have somebody else to go with?"

I sighed. May as well get it over with. "Not exactly. I've been talking to someone but she's not going with me or anything."

"Okay, I'm going to need more details than that but I don't have time to pester you about it. I've got to get back to the set. Just tell her I need to borrow you for the night and I'll return you in the pristine condition in which I found you. I just need to rub it in my ex's face that I'm not at home crying over his cheating ass. She'll get it, if she's ever been dumped before."

I had no doubt she'd understand the sentiment, it was just…"It's complicated."

"What's so complicated about it? You're going to the awards, right?"

"Yes."

"Alone?"

"Yes."

"Then let's just go together, as the friends that we are. You can tell me all about her while we pass the boring night. I'll expect details."

I blew out a breath. "Alright, I'll go with you."

She let out a triumphant cry. "Thanks, Edward. I promise I'll be the best date you ever had. Hands to myself."

I chucked. "You better."

"Scout's honor."

"You were never a girl scout, Jane."

"Hell no, I wasn't. They're boring. Unless they gave badges for making out with boys, I was so not there."

I laughed. "I'll see you on Wednesday. Am I coming to get you or…"

"My limo will pick you up by three. I love how friggin early we have to have these things for the east coasters," she griped.

"Eh, at least we get home early."

"We will. I'm not doing any after parties; let them wonder if I took you home to have my way with you."

I gagged. "Gross, Jane."

She giggled. "You're right; I totally just shuddered when I said that. Okay, I've gotta go pay the bills so I can afford the limo for Wednesday night."

"Go be the hottest Mom you can be, Jane."

"Fuck you, Edward." But she was laughing as she hung up. Mission accomplished.

I got up and wandered into the kitchen. A glance in the fridge showed that Emmett had been living on takeout since I'd left for my press tour. I opened a pizza box and nearly gagged at the dried mess in front of me. Never mind. I stuck it back in the fridge and made a mental note to order my brother to clean it out before I looked in there again. I grabbed some bread and jelly and peanut butter and made myself a sandwich. I still had five hours until I talked to Bella. Why couldn't time go faster? I knew what I should do to pass part of it.

I got my cell again and dialed my mom. "Well, there's my little boy! How are you?" I rolled my eyes at the way she answered her phone.

"I'm good, Mom, how are you?"

"You're jet lagged, aren't you? I can hear it in your voice."

I chuckled and sat at the kitchen table to eat. "I slept for twelve hours. Another night like that and I should be back to normal."

She clucked her tongue. "They just run you ragged, don't they? Maybe I should talk to Marcus."

Oh, hell no. "Mom, I don't need you calling my agent. I can handle him myself."

"Fine, but I don't think you should go on quite so long a tour again. You looked tired in the clips I saw."

I rolled my eyes. "I was tired and I was dodging the Irina questions. Happily, I won't be making another movie with her again so she won't be an issue."

She sniffed. "Damn right you won't. I'll see to it she doesn't land another good role in this town again."

I chuckled. She would, too. My mom was a very powerful casting agent. "You don't need to blackball her for me, Mom. I really don't care."

"She deserves it after the way she treated you. Did you hear her marriage to James isn't legal? Rumor has it she took off the ring already."

I smirked, even though she couldn't see me. "That's no surprise. Poor guy. I bet he's surprised, he's just dumb enough not to have seen it coming."

"Poor guy, my fine ass."

"Mom!"

"What, Edward? I do have a nice ass. Ask your father." I spluttered and she continued on. "Anyway, he knew what he was getting himself into. I don't feel sorry for him." She paused. "Hmm, I have a role in the new Apatow movie that requires a straight man that has a lot of bad luck. He gets covered in shit! I'm going to make sure James gets an audition."

I laughed my ass off. "Mom, you're killing me."

"Just getting a little revenge, Cullen style. When are you coming to dinner?"

I shrugged. "I don't know what my schedule is yet. I'm going to the PCA's with Jane on Wednesday night. What about Sunday like usual?"

"That works. Poor Jane, how's she doing?"

I sighed. "About as well as can be expected. She's pretty crushed but she's holding up. I made her laugh a few times."

"You're a good guy, Edward. One day, the right girl will see that." I wisely held my tongue, even though my mind was on Bella.

"Alright, Mom, I gotta go eat and wake up a bit. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. Love you." She blew a loud kiss into the phone and I chuckled.

"Love you, too." There, sonly duties are done and she won't call or come over tonight and interrupt my conversation with Bella.

Speaking of Bella, I opened up my email. I smiled when I saw her name.

_Edward,_

_Hopefully you're home safe and sound and sleeping. Your body has to be all messed up from the time changes, huh? I know when I went to Florida it took me days to adjust and I wasn't all over the globe the way you were._

_Anyway, I figured since tonight is the night we're finally going to talk; I should send you my number. Are you nervous at all? I am, which is weird, because it's so easy to talk to you now. I guess I just want it to be the same when I actually hear you. You know what I mean?_

_Sorry this is short but I've got to hit the library and get this paper done before our talk tonight. I've missed you and I look forward to catching up._

_My number is 206-555-2382. I'll talk to you at eight. Can't wait!_

_Love,_

_Bella._

I smiled and dropped her a quick response from the phone.

**Bella,**

**I am alive and well. Better than well, actually, now that I have your number. I'm grinning like a fool in my kitchen. I'm very excited to talk to you but yes, I'm nervous as well. Just be you and I'll be me and we'll be okay, right? That hasn't gone wrong for us so far!**

**I can't wait to hear your voice. I've imagined it countless times in my head but there's no way of narrowing something like that down, even knowing what you look like.**

**You finish up your paper like a good girl so I don't have to punish you, unless you want me to, of course. I'll talk to you in a few hours.**

**Love,**

**Edward**

I opened up _WWF_ and cursed it for the twentieth time in the last couple of days. The server had been messed up and then my phone wouldn't pull up the app so I had yet to see her response to my response to the whole crazy anal thing. I should know how she felt about it before we talked, so I didn't say something stupid. I hoped.

_You can definitely have my ass in the non-literal sense. I don't know quite what came over me when I asked that question last night. Not that I might not want to do that, someday, but I definitely wouldn't want to over Spring Break, if that happens. You know? Like you said, it's a matter of trust. But I'm flattered that you'd do it if I wanted to. You're such a gentleman._

_Ha! I called you a gentleman for wanting to fuck my ass. That has to be a first! I kinda love it though!_

I laughed out loud at that one. A gentleman! I'd done my best but there was no way to be a gentleman when you were discussing anal sex.

_I want you to hear me as well. And I want to hear you, too. Maybe Monday? Maybe later? I guess we'll see how it goes. You can't really plan phone sex can you? We'll see what happens, right?_

Christ. There was the million dollar question. Were we going to have phone sex tonight? God knew I wanted to hear her come, but I didn't want to come off as some pervert who only liked her because she was the sexiest woman on the planet. I liked her for other reasons too. She was smart and funny and very kind as well. Like she said, we'd have to play it by ear.

_Your shower fantasy just about killed me, Edward. It's long been a dream of mine and something I've never done. I'd love to have you lift me and fuck me while I wrapped my legs around you and we got all wet and slippery under the spray. Let's add that to the list, shall we? I'm eating an apple right now, you know!_

Apples would probably make me hard for the rest of my life. It was ridiculous. And yes, shower sex was definitely on the list.

_Soon, Edward. I could grow to love that word._

Me, too, Bella, along with other things.

**A gentleman? I admit, I tried my best. You're right, maybe someday we'll get to that point but for now I think we'll stick to showers and desks and hot teachers, okay? Those are enough to nearly kill me anyway; we don't need to up the ante any further!**

**I'm going to talk to you in a few hours, which feels like a lifetime from now. I guess you can plan phone sex, but where's the fun in that? If it happens, it happens. If not, I'm sure I'm going to enjoy just hearing you, Bella. It feels like I wanted that for years instead of days. Eight PM cannot come soon enough!**

**The shower is very much on the list. It's starred in my fantasies every time I've stepped into the water. You just don't know what you do to me, do you? Or maybe you do and you're having fun torturing me. That's another punishable offense, you know.**

**Soon, Bella. I can't wait.**

She'd played laved and I groaned. She was definitely doing it on purpose. I didn't have anything great but I could play horsed off of laved and did so. No more horsing around, Bella. It's about to become as real as it gets. I hope this goes well. It has to.

* * *


	13. Chapter 13

It was time. I'd been sitting in my room for half an hour debating with myself about what I would and wouldn't do on this first phone call. First, I was going to be me, which meant I wasn't going to disguise my voice. If she recognized me, well, then I'd consider that fate and go with it. Second, I wasn't going to tell her who I was today. Not this first time out. I wanted her to respond to me, not to the movie star. I'd tell her very soon, but first I just wanted to be two people who knew and liked each other.

I took a deep breath and hit the number I'd programmed into the phone. The only number. This was Bella's phone. I was probably going to have it with me everywhere I went. I would hate to miss a moment with her.

"Hello." The voice was slightly breathless, soft and sexy.

"Hi, Bella?" A breath hitch. Did she recognize me?

"Yes, this is Bella." Phew, guess not. That was good.

"Hi, it's Edward."

She let out a nervous sounding laugh. It was supremely cute though. "I figured. You're right on time."

I grinned. "My father told me never to keep a lady waiting. We did say eight, did we not?"

"We did. And I'm glad to finally talk to you. It seems like we've been waiting forever."

I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. "So true. This has been the longest day in the world and I slept for well over half of it."

"You must be glad to be home. Just hearing about all that travel exhausted me. Plus, nothing beats sleeping in your own bed."

That was true. Bed. Bella. Bella in my bed. Fuck. I was hard already. "I'm very glad to be home, but I'm even happier to be closer to you." Had I said too much? How would she take that?

No response. Great. Why don't I scare her off in the first minute of conversation? "Bella?"

"I'm here."

"Okay…" Now what?

"I was just thinking that you always know how to make me feel good. I was sitting here waiting for you to call, all nervous that you either wouldn't or that I'd bore you to tears or that it wouldn't be the same when we actually spoke to one another and then you go and say you're happy to be closer to me and it made me feel, I don't know. Really good. I'm sorry I'm babbling. I'm a little nervous as I said."

She was just as cute on the phone as she was in her emails, albeit with a sexy voice that made my cock hard. Though her sexy words did that too. It was just her, clearly, and my dick's response to anything to do with her.

"Don't be nervous. I won't bite you. Not right now, anyway. I physically can't." Where were these words coming from? I would never say anything like that to most girls. It was Bella, of course. She inspired me.

I got a giggle again, though this time she didn't sound quite so nervous. "If you bite me, you'll get timeout. Alice was a biter in kindergarten. She constantly spent time in the corner."

I laughed. "From biting to ball kicking huh? Remind me to stay away from that girl."

"She's not even the scary one!" I wondered how Emmett would fare with these friends of hers, if everything worked out. He might be in some real trouble. It would be good for him though. "Truly, though, Jared had that coming. Who tells a girl that she should do all the boring dating stuff with one guy and then let him have the sexy stuff?"

"Nobody worth spending time with. Would you really put me in timeout if I bit you?"

She hummed. "I don't know, what kind of bite are we talking? A love bite or actually drawing blood like a vampire? Because vampires are sexy in books and movies but I really don't like to bleed."

Vampires are sexy, huh? Maybe I should play one someday. I could get Bella on set and pretend to stalk her and then grab her and sink my teeth into her neck, though instead of killing her I could just nibble and suck on her soft skin as I made love to her. Shit. Focus, Edward.

"I would never draw blood. Maybe a nice little mark to show that you were taken, but no breaking the skin."

She laughed. "A hickey, Edward? Are we sixteen?"

"No, thank God. You wouldn't have liked me at sixteen. I was a total dork." Not the whale dick kind either.

"I find that hard to believe."

"No, I really was. I shot up to my full height around then but I was skinny as a rail and got picked on quite a bit, although my brother put a stop to that rather quickly. I started working out with him and by the time I was seventeen I filled out and kind of came into my own."

"Seventeen, huh? I should tell Alice that."

What? "Um, why?"

Bella laughed. "It's a long story, one that I will definitely tell you someday but not now."

Hmm. "Something to look forward to, then."

"Yeah. You're lucky you have a big brother looking out for you. I always wanted one, but of course that wasn't in the cards."

I heard the wistfulness in her voice. "Your dad never remarried?"

"No. He actually really didn't date much when I was growing up, although he sometimes worked the night shift and came home smelling like perfume." She laughed, louder this time. She had a truly gorgeous laugh, light and carefree. "I pretended not to notice."

I joined in her laugher. "I bet you did. There's nothing worse than knowing your parents are having sex, unless of course you actually see them."

She gasped. "Did you?"

"No, thank God. My brother did, though. Then, in true brotherly fashion, he proceeded to tell me about it. He said if he had to be traumatized, then so did I. I was fifteen and a virgin then. It put me off sex for quite awhile."

Bella made some noise between a laugh and a choking sound. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking that you don't have that problem now."

I groaned and flopped back on my bed. "No, I don't. Instead I've regressed to when I was thirteen and discovered boobs for the first time. Though I think I jerked off even less then." Was that too crass? I hoped not.

Another giggle greeted that statement so I guessed I was okay. "Tell me about it. Someone behind me in one of my classes had their phone sitting on their desk on vibrate and I swear I thought my car was in my bookbag and turned on by accident. I about had a heart attack."

I laughed loudly at that one. "You're kidding. Did that happen today?"

"Yeah. Today was a weird day all around."

"Weird how?" I didn't want her day to be weird. I wanted it to be good, especially now.

"Uh, I kind of got pulled into my friend's love lives, or ex love lives."

Uh oh. "Did that Jared guy talk to you?" He better not touch her.

Bella laughed. "No. I haven't seen him since the incident. Rose's ex's brother found me in Starbucks and sat down to talk."

Talk. Right, that was no big deal. Why were my hands clenching? I was jealous. That was silly. It was just coffee.

"Yeah? What did you talk about?"

"Rose and Brady, mostly. I told you that our drunken night, sorry about that by the way, led to hear breaking up with her boyfriend, right?"

Ahh, the drunk night, which led to the drunk email, which led to the hard on to end all hard ons. "I think you mentioned it, but I kind of focused on other things in that email."

Bella groaned. "You would."

"Come on, can you blame me?"

She huffed out a breath. "No, I suppose I can't. Anyway, while I was busy sending you the most embarrassing messages of my life, Rose called Brady because she was horny." Horny emails, drunk, horny college girls…I should go to school. With Bella. "He picked her up and I guess they had their fun but in the morning he lectured her about the perils of drinking on a school night."

"After he had sex with her? Sounds like a great guy." Asshole.

"Right? So Rose told him where to go and walked home."

"He let her walk home, hungover and angry? Who does that?" I would never let Bella walk away from me after a fight, and if she insisted on doing it, I'd damn well drive her and make sure she got home safe. How safe was the campus in Seattle? I should ask her, or ask Kate to look into it. She had ways of finding out anything.

"Well, he regrets it but Rose isn't the type to give second chances."

"I don't blame her. For what it's worth, I'm one hundred percent in favor of you drinking whenever you like, so long as you promise to send me an email or call me." How delightful would she be drunk on the phone? What might she say or do?

She laughed. "I can do that, though do you really want me waking you up at one AM?"

"Do you even have to ask that? You can call me anytime you want."

"Hmm, well now that I have your number, I'll just have to do that, won't I?"

I couldn't stop smiling. "Please do."

"Well, you should get drunk and email me sometime. It's only fair."

I laughed. "Haven't I shared enough with you sober?"

"Oh, no, all the hidden inhibitions come out when you're drunk."

I raised an eyebrow even though she couldn't see me. "Is that what those were? Hidden inhibitions?"

She sighed. "I have no idea what those were, honestly. Curiosity peeking through, maybe? I still can't believe I said that stuff."

"Please. It was a great email. I'm going to save it and one day I'll read it with you."

"That wouldn't be so bad," she said quietly.

"I save all your emails, actually, not just the dirty ones."

"Really?" She sounded so excited by that. It was adorable.

"Yes. And if I could figure out a way to save the WWF messages, I would do that as well."

She laughed. "I just bet you would."

I grinned. "I just commit them all to memory instead. Maybe I should write them down as if they were an email…"

"Pervert," she interrupted with a giggle.

"You like me that way, though. Hell, it's all your fault that I'm like this. I was a relatively normal guy before you came along."

"I doubt that," she replied quickly. What did that mean?

"Huh?"

"I just mean I bet you were still dirty, you just kept those thoughts to yourself."

I snickered. "Okay, so maybe I still had the thoughts, but they were less frequent and starred a variety of faceless women. Now they only star one woman and she has a very pretty face."

I heard her make a sound, similar to a whimper. "Are you alright, Bella?"

"Yes, just a little hot."

Well, I wasn't letting a line like that go by. "You're extremely hot."

Her laugh this time sounded choked. "That's not what I meant, but thank you."

"You're welcome."

There was a pause and I tried to figure out where to go from here. We were dancing close to that sexual line but hadn't completely crossed it yet. Did I make the leap or take a step back?

"I'm actually flushed like I told you I get when I'm turned on." Well, holy shit, she'd taken the leap for me. Thank you, God.

"Is that so?" I asked, dropping my voice a little to sound more seductive. Did that even work?

"Yeah. You know what you do to me." Her voice was a little breathier now and I could hear her breathing. It was heavier. My cock was getting harder and I was grateful that I'd made this call wearing only boxers and a t-shirt.

"I know what you say I do to you, but I've never actually experienced it." I palmed my cock through my shorts.

There was a pause. "Do you want to?"

How about fuck yes? Play it cool, though. That wasn't actually what this call was about. But we'd already talked, some. "If you do." Okay, so it was kind of a wuss move, leaving the ball in her court like that, but I didn't want her to do anything she didn't want to do. And though I'd hoped maybe the call would go in this direction, I hadn't expected it and I would happily have just spent hours getting to know her.

There was another pause and some rustling. "Okay, I'm ready."

Ready? Ready for what exactly? "Ready?" I asked. Why was my voice so damn high? I sounded like a pre-pubescent boy.

She laughed a throaty laugh that went straight to my cock. "Yes. I had to get out my toy."

Oh, holy hell. That little toy was going to be the death of me. I wanted to see it, very badly. Next best thing was going to be hearing it though.

Try not to sound like a child now. "Your little blue car is out?"

"Yes," she said.

"Turn it on and hold it up to the phone. I want to hear it."

There was a gasp and then a very loud vibrating noise came over the line. Holy fuck me. I got up and locked my door in case my brother came home. He knew I was talking to Bella and he wasn't the type to barge in but you never knew.

"That sounds like a very powerful toy, Bella."

"It is," she agreed. Yeah, I just bet it was.

"I'm going to put my phone on speaker, Bella. I'm all alone, I swear, but I need at least one hand free and I prefer to have both involved, if that's okay."

"Uh, yeah. I'll go on speaker too, I guess." She sounded a little hesitant now. Shit, maybe this was too much.

"Is it okay? We don't have to do this if…"

"No, I want to! Alice and Rose are home but my door is locked and their rooms are on the other side of the living room thankfully."

That was a very good thing. "Okay, baby, put your phone on speaker then." I did so and put it next to me on my nightstand, which also conveniently held my newly purchased bottle of Lubriderm that I'd run to the drug store specifically to procure today. Hopefully no paps had gotten a picture of that particular purchase.

"Alright, ready." I could hear the excitement in her voice and it made me smile.

"Good. Now, Bella, the last _WWF_ message you sent me…" She groaned and I smirked. "Not that, naughty girl."

"Thank God," she muttered and I had to laugh.

"You're so damn cute, you know that?"

She sighed. "I'm glad you think so."

"Oh, I very much do." I flipped open my new laptop and groaned as her sexy teacher picture greeted me. That one would do, but I thought the t-shirt pic was more fitting so I pulled it up. "Tell me, Bella, what are you wearing right now?"

"Uh, my gray nightshirt."

Score. "You mean the one you sent me a picture of? The one you wore while lying on your bed thinking of me?"

"Yes, that one."

So fucking hot. I'd seen women in some of the most expensive piece of lingerie made but give me Bella in a t-shirt any day. "Is that all you're wearing, Bella?"

"Yes, Edward. I took off my panties before you called."

God, yes. "Why'd you do that, Bella?"

"Because I knew there was a 99.9% chance that you'd turn me on and I'd get them all wet anyway. I thought I'd save a step."

Fuck me. My cock could plow through concrete right about now. "I admire efficiency like that, Bella."

She giggled. "Thank you."

"You were awfully sure that this phone call would turn dirty, weren't you? 99.9% is about as high as it gets."

"I think I know you pretty well by now, Edward." I felt a pang at her words. She did, but she didn't. Now was not the time to think about that though. She'd know all of me very soon.

"Mmm, well I think I know you pretty well, Bella. Do you want me to show you how well I know you?"

"Yes, Edward," she replied, her voice squeaking a little on my name. That was so sexy. "What are you wearing?"

I glanced down. "A white t-shirt and black boxers. Would you like me to take them off?"

She gasped. "Yes." I loved that that could get her excited. I pulled off my boxers and my t-shirt for good measure. A girl wearing just a t-shirt was sexy; a guy doing it was weird and very unsexy.

"All done, beautiful." I stroked my cock briefly but let it go. I'd come too soon and I needed to hear her first. "Why don't you take off your t-shirt?"

I heard rustling and smiled. "Okay, it's off."

"Good. I can't have you dressed when we get into the shower." Bella gasped. "You like that, don't you, baby?"

"Yes. And I like it when you call me baby," she replied.

I had to smile at that, because I liked it too. "Good, because I like calling you that. Want to get wet with me, baby?"

I waited to see if she'd take my ball and run with it. Not literally, that would hurt. But I'd love to have her hand on my balls. I squeezed the left one lightly.

"I already am wet, Edward." Good girl. Such a very good girl. I knew she wouldn't let me down.

"I just bet you are, Bella. I want to make you even wetter, so I'm turning on the shower, making sure it's nice and hot." She made an incredibly sexy moaning sound and I had to grab my mattress to keep from pumping my dick. Not yet.

"I like hot," she told me.

"Me too, baby. We get inside and I guide you under the spray, watching as the water moves down your body. I want to taste you, Bella. Do you want me to?"

"Yes, Edward," she choked out.

"Are you using your toy yet, Bella?"

"No. I was waiting."

"Don't wait, sweetheart. You can come more than once, can't you?" I'd damn well see to it.

Another moan. "Yeah, I can."

"I knew you could, Bella. A sexy, naughty girl like you. Tell me about your toy. What are you doing right now?"

"I'm, uh, sliding the first bullet inside me." Fuck. Me.

"Yeah? Are you nice and wet, Bella? Is it going in easily?'

"Yes."

"And what about the other one, Bella? Where does that go?" I knew perfectly well, but I wanted her to tell me.

"On my clit."

"Fuck, baby, that's so hot. I want to watch you use that. Will you use it for me when I visit?"

"Mmm, okay," she replied. Her breathing was getting heavier.

"Turn your toy on now, Bella." A pause and a buzzing sound filled the air. She moaned immediately. Christ. I wasn't going to be able to last long myself and I wasn't even doing anything yet.

"That's so sexy, Bella. Now imagine me kissing you and moving my hands down your body, along with the water, tracing your curves and coming to rest on your ass, squeezing it. Do you like that?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Then I'd move my hand between your legs and feel that wet pussy for myself. Do you want my fingers to stroke your clit and then slide inside you, Bella?"

"Fuck. Yes." Bella saying fuck had my breathing quickening.

"I slide my middle finger inside you. You're so wet and tight, Bella. I move it in and out slowly as I look into those beautiful brown eyes of yours. I add a second finger and start to move faster. Does that feel good, Bella?"

No verbal response, but a sobbing gasping noise. Fuck, this was hot. We needed to do this daily until I saw her and then daily until I could see her again. I was a greedy bastard and I didn't give a damn.

"I kiss your neck and then bite you gently, sucking on your skin, marking you as mine. Do you want to be mine, Bella?"

"Yes, Edward, all yours." Her breathing was harsh now and I knew she was close. Mine. I loved that.

"I kiss my way down your delectable body, stopping when I get to your beautiful breasts. Your nipples are hard, aren't they, Bella? They want to be touched and kissed."

"Mmmm hmmm."

"I take your left nipple into my mouth and bite gently as I curl my fingers inside you."

"Fuck! Edward!" I didn't say a word, just listening as she moaned loud and long. The sound of Bella coming was easily the sexiest thing I'd ever heard in my life, especially since she used my name while doing so. Could I make it two weeks before I heard that in person? Well, eleven days if we went on Friday. That was still a long time away.

"Bella, that was so hot."

"Wow. I've never done that with anyone before, Edward. It was hot." I laughed. She could still make me laugh when I was hard and aching.

"Do you think you can come again with me inside you?"

"Yes, but first, I want to try something."

Oh yeah? "What might that be?"

She took a deep breath. "You slide your fingers out of me and kiss me, hard." Holy shit, she was taking control and she'd never done this before. How perfect was this girl? "I run my hands over your chest, down your stomach and take your cock in my hand, moving it slowly up and down the length." Fuck. She was going to kill me. I got my lotion and quickly squirted it into my hands, rubbing them and moving my right hand slowly up and down my cock, pretending it was Bella's instead.

"That feels so good, baby." I needed to encourage her.

"You're so hard, so sexy. I want to taste you. Do you want me to taste you?"

Was the sky blue? Did birds fly? "Fuck. Yes, baby, so badly." I choked it out and squeezed my aching dick.

"Mmm, good, Edward. I get down on my knees in front of you and run my tongue over the head of your cock." Fuck, I could see it. Gorgeous Bella looking up at me as her tongue tasted my cock. "I lick the underside of your shaft and then wrap my lips around the head of your cock. Do you want me to suck your dick?"

My naughty girl was coming all the way out now and I fucking loved it. "Yes, Bella. I want you to suck my dick." I was inadvertently moving my hand faster on my cock.

"I move forward, taking your dick further into my mouth and stopping."

"Don't stop, baby." I was dangerously close to whining. Such delicious torture.

"I want you to do it, Edward. I want you to fuck my mouth."

Jesus fucking Christ, this girl would be the death of me. "I want that, too, so bad."

"You thrust into my mouth, sliding in and out as I suck on your big, hard cock. I reach down and squeeze your balls as you fuck my mouth. Do you like that, Edward?"

"Uh, huh, yeah." My breathing was ragged and I was seconds away from exploding. "Bella, I need to be inside you."

"Then fuck me, Edward." Jesus. That word coming out of her pretty little mouth would kill me every single time.

"I pull you to your feet and lift you off the ground, pressing you against the wall. The water is pouring down on us as you wrap your legs around my waist. I press my cock against you. Are you ready for me baby?"

My words were fast and harsh, because I'd be coming within a minute.

"Yes," she moaned.

"Turn on your toy baby, all the way. I slam my cock inside you, thrusting hard and deep." She moaned loudly and I heard the buzzing again. "Press that bullet against your clit, Bella, and come for me."

She moaned. "So close, Edward."

"Me too, baby. My cock is sliding in and out of you, so hard. Your breasts are bouncing, your ass is pressed against the tile and you're so wet and tight around me. You feel so fucking good, Bella. I want to come inside you. Can I?"

She called my name loudly. I was too far gone to worry about whether or not her roommates heard. Bella coming apart was all I needed and I shot my load all over my stomach. I pumped several times, getting out all that I could. All those times I'd jerked off to her words were nothing comparing to jerking off to the sound of her coming.

The buzzing stopped and I could hear Bella breathing loudly. I grabbed a tissue off my nightstand and wiped myself off. "Are you okay?"

She choked out a laugh. "More than. I'm not so nervous anymore."

I chuckled. "Well, I thought it would be rude to start fucking you the instant we got on the phone."

"True, I imagine Miss Manners would have something to say about that."

I grinned. "Why don't we write her and ask?"

She snorted. "That's one letter that I guarantee would not make the column, unless we sent it to _Penthouse_."

She was amazing. Less than a minute after I'd come harder than I thought possible, she had me laughing.

"You're incredible, Bella."

She laughed. "I should hope so. I'm sorry that I was so quiet, I mean, I didn't know…"

"Bella, you were perfect. Every sound you made was better than I could imagine. And then when you took over like that…well, you nearly set me off then and there."

"Well, good then. I meant it when I said I'd never done that before."

"Well, I'm honored that I could be your first." And last, I hoped.

"I'm glad, too. We've come a long way in two weeks."

I agreed there. Already I'd shared more with her than I had in six months with Irina. And it didn't feel weird at all. "We have. And maybe we'll come even further in a couple more?" I had to feel her out more on this Spring Break issue. Emmett had no doubt already made our plans. I hoped she'd want to meet me more after what had just transpired but maybe it would freak her out.

"Well, I certainly hope so, if you're really planning to come up."

"Yeah, about that…" I heard her gasp and hurried to correct any wrong assumption she may be making. Way to scare her, Edward. "I told my brother about us planning to get together today and he doesn't want me to come alone."

"Oh," she said quietly. "Well, I understand if you don't want to come. I mean, you don't know me and of course…"

"Bella!" I couldn't let that go on. "Of course I want to come. I am coming! It's just my brother doesn't think I should come alone so he wants to tag along, if that's okay?" Hopefully I'd be coming in several ways.

"Oh, sure. That'd be great." I could hear the relief in her voice. Thank God she wasn't upset.

"Good. And, well, I don't know what Rose and Alice or any of your other friends are doing but we were thinking that hanging around a deserted college town would probably be kinda boring, especially for you guys since you go to school there."

"What did you have in mind?" she asked. She didn't sound nervous thankfully, only curious.

"Well, Emmett, that's my brother, and I were thinking maybe we could rent a cabin at Mount Rainier for the week. It'd be quiet and private but there's lots to do there and you and I could have more privacy if you wanted it and…"

Bella cut off my babbling, thankfully. "Edward, I just had two orgasms over the phone with you. I think saying I want some alone time with you is pretty redundant at this point."

I laughed nervously. Funny that I got the nerves now, after we'd just had phone sex, while she seemed calm and cool. "Well, yeah, but you haven't seen me yet and maybe you won't be attracted to me." She snorted at that but didn't say anything else. Okay, it wasn't likely since I already knew she found me hot but you never knew how these things would work in person. Not that I'd ever met anybody like this before. This was all new to me, hence the nerves. The sex stuff wasn't scary, but the way I wanted Bella sort of was.

"Anyway, as Em said, it's safer and better for both of us if we have friends and family around. As protective as Rose and Alice are of you, I doubt that they'd want you to go anywhere alone with me yet."

She hummed again. "That's true. I'm not sure what we could get at Mt. Rainier and what stuff costs but…"

"Money isn't an issue," I interrupted. "It's all on me." She started to protest but I wasn't having it. "Bella, trust me. I've already found a potential place. Emmett, well, he's probably already made arrangements, which we can cancel if you don't like it."

She laughed. "What is it, Edward?"

Oh, that might help. "It's a cabin with four bedrooms, a pool table, fireplace, hot tub. Quiet, private, right on the water so you can hear the river at night." I sounded like a salesman, a very nervous salesman.

"It sounds great. I'm sure Rose will want to come and I'll have to see about Alice." There was something in her tone when she mentioned Alice.

"Is there something wrong with Alice?"

"There might be," she muttered. "Part of that long story I mentioned before. I promise I'll tell you all about it soon." Strange. Well, she'd tell me when she wanted, I guess.

"Okay. The place sleeps ten people so if you have anyone else you want to bring, that's fine. There's a master bedroom…" I trailed off and decided to plow ahead. "That I thought we could share, if you want, or I could bunk with Emmett and you girls could divide the other three rooms however you like."

She giggled. "How many times do I have to tell you? Yes, I'll share the master bedroom with you, Edward. I want as much alone time with you as I can get. I have to see if you can live up to your words, don't I?"

It was going to be one hell of a week. "Yeah, well, I can promise I'm better at action than words. Those are your forte."

"I don't know, you seemed pretty good with them tonight."

I laughed. "I'm even better with my hands and tongue, I assure you."

She moaned softly. "I look forward to that."

Me too. But…"I want you to know, Bella, that I don't expect anything from this trip. I mean, I know I want you and I hope you want me but reality is different than fantasy and if you just want to spend time together and get to know one another, that's great too. I mean, I want to know you."

She sighed. "Edward, you say the sweetest things. I do want to get to know you in every way. I want to know all about you and I want to know how you taste and feel. I hope we get a chance to do all of that, the reality and the fantasy, while you're here."

"Nine days may not be enough." Nine years probably wouldn't be. I didn't think it would be possible for me to get enough of this girl.

"Well, if it's not, you'll just have to come back again, won't you?" she asked huskily. Or she could come to me. I'd be in Europe this summer. She'd be off school, unless she started over the summer. Maybe…maybe I should rein myself in a little bit before I got even further carried away than I already was.

"That sounds like a plan." She yawned and I took that as a hint. I was actually still pretty wiped out from my trip anyway. "I guess I should let you get some sleep."

She sighed. "I don't want to stop talking to you."

I laughed. She was so cute. "I don't want to stop talking to you either but you're tired and you have class in the morning. We can talk tomorrow, if you want."

"Talk?" she asked. I heard the intent in her tone.

"Amongst other things, maybe. We'll see what mood we're in. Same time tomorrow?"

"I'd like that. Thank you for tonight, Edward."

"It was my pleasure, Bella."

She laughed. "It was both of ours'."

"Good point. Talk to you tomorrow. Sweet dreams, baby."

"Same to you, Edward. Goodnight."

I got off the bed and headed into my shower to clean up. Was it wrong that I missed her already? I badly wanted to get back on the phone with her but she needed her rest. I'd talk to her tomorrow and maybe I could tell her who I really was. I didn't have much time left before our vacation. Our vacation…I loved the sound of that.

* * *


	14. Chapter 14

"Come on, Romeo, I want the details." My bed was shaking and I knew without opening my eyes that Emmett was bouncing on the corner of it. He'd been waking me up exactly like this since I was four and he was six. The fact that he'd yet to outgrow it was annoying.

"What time is it?" I muttered.

"Eight. Rise and shine!" He was annoyingly chipper for it being this early.

"What in the hell are you doing up?" I sat up as a suspicion crossed my mind. "Shit, are you just getting home?"

He grinned and winked at me. Gross. "Get off my bed, God knows what diseases you're carrying."

He threw back his head and laughed. "You're so uptight, Eddie. I didn't just get home. I got home at eleven and you were already passed out, so I let you sleep. Couldn't have been that great of a phone call."

I couldn't stop the grin if I tried. My brother grinned back at me. "Well, color me incorrect. So was it everything you hoped for?"

Much better than I dared let myself imagine. "Yeah. She's great. I mean, really, she's funny and smart and sexy."

"Sexy, huh?" he interrupted, waggling his eyebrows at me. I didn't say anything after that. What Bella and I did was ours only. "Alright, I can see you're not going to tell me. But did you tell her who you were?"

There was the one kink in the conversation. "No, not yet. I used my normal voice but she didn't guess it was me. Why would she, though? It's not like her mind would immediately leap to me being a famous actor."

Emmett shrugged. "Sure, I suppose not. So was it weird, talking to your dream girl?"

Dream girl? I guess she sort of was. I'd definitely been dreaming about her when the idiot woke me up. "Not really. I guess there was an awkward pause or two at first but then we just started talking and joking about stuff we'd already talked about in emails. It was easy to talk to her, like I've known her forever."

"Dude, are you blushing?" Shit, was I? I lifted my hands to my cheeks and he laughed like a loon. "Gotcha!"

"Jerk."

"Seriously, though, you really like her. I haven't heard you talk about a girl like this since…shit, I don't think I ever have."

I shrugged. "Bella's different." He was my brother and I could ask him anything. "Have you ever just met a girl that stimulated every part of you?" He shot me a blank look. "I mean, Bella makes me hard as a rock one minute and then she has me laughing the next. She makes me think and she makes me…" How to phrase it?

"Come?" he asked, grabbing my lotion off my nightstand.

"Damn it, Emmett. I'm sorry I asked."

He stopped fondling my lotion obscenely and put it back down. "Alright, I'm sorry. You were asking me if I'd ever met a girl who got every part of me. The answer is no. If I did, I would be with her instead of fucking around."

He had a valid point. "You like fucking around."

Emmett sat down on the bed. "Well, sure, I do. So many women, so little time. But I can tell you that when the right one comes along, that's it. I won't look at another girl. It's in our DNA, brother. One look at Mom and Dad was a goner. One word from Bella and you were done. It'll happen for me, eventually." I thought I heard something wistful in his tone. Then he grinned wolfishly. "In the meantime, I'm having a lot of fun with all the Miss Wrongs in the world."

I rolled my eyes. "Clearly. And I didn't say that Bella was the one, exactly…"

"No, you didn't say it, but you sure as hell show it. You should see your face when you talk about her. And you about bit my head off when I said she was hot." I scowled at the memory. "You're not usually a possessive mofo, Edward. You didn't give a shit when I said stuff about Irina or anyone else you dated."

That was true, actually. I never worried about stuff like that before. "She mentioned some guy that she ran into at a coffee place yesterday who talked to her and I wanted to, I don't know, ask her a billion questions about him and punch him. It was stupid."

Emmett grinned. "Nah, you're just marking your territory."

I laughed at that. "I'm not a dog and Bella's not a tree."

"No, she'd be a fire hydrant, with those sexy red lips." I swung at him and he dodged my punch. "See?"

And I did. And it was weird and should be scary but it kind of wasn't. I liked Bella. A lot. More than was normal for the amount of time I'd known her and we'd spent getting to know one another, but I didn't care. "Stop talking about her lips."

Emmett grinned and opened his mouth to say something. "You better watch what you say next."

"Or you'll what, kick my ass?" He had me there. I may have grown into my own, but he was still bigger and stronger.

"I'll tell Mom."

He frowned and shook his head. "Okay, I'll be quiet."

I laughed. Yeah, it worked just as well on him as it did on me. Then he smiled. "Of course, if you do, then you'll have to tell her just what I was saying to piss you off. You'd have a lot of explaining to do."

I sighed and he laughed this time, triumphant. "I'll tell her after I know where this is going."

"I'll tell you where it's going. It's going to the chapel and you're gonna get married." He crooned in this very obnoxious falsetto.

"If I wasn't naked, I would be kicking your ass right about now."

Emmett laughed. "Sure you would. Why do you think I'm so anxious to go with you on this trip to Washington? I need to meet my future sister-in-law."

I groaned. "Please, no marriage talk. I haven't even laid eyes on her in person yet. She doesn't know who I am. I think we have some shit to get through before the wedding bells. Plus, you're not going to meet Bella. You're going to meet her friends."

"Them too! Did you tell her about me?"

I snorted. "I had better things to do than talk about you." He pouted and I nudged him with my foot. "I told you were coming with me and mentioned that she could invite whomever she wanted to go with us, including Alice and Rose. I assume you made the reservations?"

That had him perking right up. "Of course! The place sleeps ten. Invite seven girls, and the then the three of us."

I shook my head. "Even you could not manage seven different women."

He smirked. "I'd sure as hell like to try."

"Don't even think about it." That would be way too many people potentially interrupting my alone time with Bella.

"I know, hands off." He rolled his eyes. "But they might want their hands on and I'm not telling them no."

"Okay, Emmett, if they force themselves on you, then by all means, have at it."

"That's all I ask, baby bro." He stood and pointed at me. "I did come in here for a reason you know."

"Other than to harass me about Bella?"

"Yeah. I ran into Alec at the gym." I groaned. "Yep. He said to have your ass there at ten or he'll come here and drag you in. He also said something about you looking chunky."

I glared at him. "I am not chunky!"

He held up his hands. "Just delivering the message. He said he has three weeks to whip you into shape, which will be less actually thanks to our trip, but I didn't tell him that."

Of course he didn't. "Leaving that to me, huh?"

"Hell yeah, Eddie. Unlike you, Alec could probably kick my ass. I'd rather not find out. You tell him."

I sighed. I would be in deep shit. "Alright. Get out of here so I can get dressed and go get my ass kicked."

"Better you than me!" he hooted, bounding toward the door. "I'm sure your girl would be happy to kiss it for you."

"Douche." He laughed as he exited.

My girl. My Bella. I reached for my phone and fired off a text to her. I could do that now. It made me feel good.

**Good morning, beautiful. I just had a rude awakening from a very good dream. Can you guess who I was dreaming about?**

I got up and took a quick shower. I'd be taking another one after Alec got through with me, but I wanted one first. Okay, I wanted to jerk off while I imagined sliding into Bella. Either way.

I got dressed and grabbed my Bella phone along with my keys. Hey, she'd texted me back.

_Hmm, well it better be me after last night._

I laughed. Like it would be anybody else?

**Of course it was you. It's always you these days. How are you today, gorgeous?**

I went to the living room and headed out to the garage. I slid into my Jag and started it up as my phone vibrated.

_I'm good. I'm sitting in class bored out of my mind. I'd much rather be talking to you._

I grinned. You and me both, baby.

**Naughty girl, texting me from class! You'll have to be punished for that one.**

**I'm heading to the gym. I'd much rather be talking to you as well.**

I put my phone to the side and pulled out. I shot a wave at the gate guard, Javier, and made my way down to _Hard Bodies_. Such a lame name, but it was home to Alec Saunders, best trainer in Hollywood and my personal torturer. I parked and grabbed my phone again.

_As long as you're the one doing the punishing. Shall I bend over?_

Fuck. I could not go in with raging hard on but of course that's what I had the instant she talked about bending over. That fine ass of hers would taunt me mercilessly.

_Ah, the gym. Good, you better be in good shape so you can lift me up in the shower like you did last night._

I groaned. I should have known better than to message her when I had to be somewhere. This girl would be the death of me.

**You are an evil woman, baby. Making me hard before I go into the gym is not going help me get into shape and I'll drop you on your cute, soon-to-be-red ass.**

She needed to be spanked for taunting me so.

_I would say I'm sorry, but we both know I'm not. Hard is exactly how I want you to be._

I laughed. Did she really have as bad a libido as I did? We might not do anything but have sex when I went to see her. Not that that was a bad thing at all.

**Hard is exactly what I will be around you, probably 24/7. You'd better be ready.**

Pool table, hot tub, maybe in the woods somewhere, the rental car, her bed before we left, her bed after we got back, our bed…shit, how much did I love the idea of our bed?

_Alright, I just whimpered in class. You got your revenge. Go get hard in another way._

Ha! Got you back, Bella. Just you wait…

"Cullen! What is your lazy ass doing in that car? Did you need to me to fucking escort you into the gym? Are you that Hollywood now?" Alec was scowling at me, his brown eyes snapping with anger. Shit, I was in trouble.

"Be right there, Alec!" He stood at the door with his massive arms crossed, waiting for me. I sighed and got out of the car, grabbing my gym bag. I fired off one more quick text to Bella before stashing my phone in the bag.

**You just got me in trouble with my trainer. I hope you're happy. If I survive the workout I'll talk to you later.**

I shut off my phone and hurried over to Alec. "Do you think I have all day? Look at you," he barked, his eyes burning into me. "You've been scarfing up all that fattening hotel food, haven't you?" I opened my mouth to respond as he walked around me. "Weak quads. Puny arms." He poked my stomach. "Flabby abs. Get your ass to work."

He opened the door and slapped a hand on my back, guiding or throwing me inside, I couldn't quite tell. I stumbled but managed not to fall on my face. This was going to suck.

Xoxoxoxox

I survived my workout, barely. My body felt like I'd been beaten repeatedly for three hours, which was pretty accurate. I'd wisely waited until we finished our sparring session before telling Alec that I'd be gone for a week. He'd promptly doubled all our training sessions before and after Washington and when I'd left he'd been making some noise about coming to film the movie with me. I was positively terrified of that idea and pretended I hadn't heard him.

I drove home and immediately took a long, hot shower before grabbing a banana and throwing myself down on the couch. I turned back on the Bella phone.

_Oooh, poor baby! I'm sorry I got you in trouble. What can I do to make it up to you?_

Christ. I didn't think my dick was capable of getting hard but it was proving me wrong.

**A full body massage would be nice for starters.**

I opened my WWF to see if she'd played and responded. Zit? I guess she was trying to play catch-up. Good luck, sexy, this game is mine. I opened up her message.

_So, you're calling me in thirty minutes and I'm killing time by reading your messages. Short, dirty and sexy. And you say I'm killing you?_

_I'm nervous, very nervous, but excited too. Hopefully by the time you read this, we will have talked and all will have gone well. I hope I don't sound like a babbling idiot, although I did in that drunk email and you still liked me. How did I get so lucky?_

_All this talk of punishment makes me tingly, Edward. I have a feeling talking to you will as well. I can't wait to see what other feelings you bring me. I bet they'll be very good._

_Talk to you soon._

_Your, Bella._

Yes, my Bella, you are killing me, but in the best possible way.

**How could you think that I wouldn't find you sexy, incredible and perfect over the phone? That's exactly what you were and I couldn't get enough of you. God help us when we're both in the same place at the same time. Maybe we should send them all to the cabin and stay at your place for the week.**

**It's a good thing punishment makes you tingly because you have it coming after setting my trainer on me today. Every part of me hurts, thankfully excluding a certain part that I'll very much need when I see you again. Though that hurts too, because as usual your words turn me on.**

**I'm looking forward to talking to you again tonight.**

**Your Edward**

I didn't have anything overly sexy to play, but she'd play zit so I didn't feel obligated to respond in kind. I jacked her z and played maze for a triple word score. I was kicking her delectable little ass. Well, I'd make sure to make it feel better when I could get my hands on it.

Xoxoxoxox

Finally the day was over. I was ridiculously attached to Bella already. She'd texted to tell me she was going to work on her paper in the afternoon so I'd left her alone, even though I wanted to call her earlier, especially after she offered to give me that full body massage during my visit. Hell yes. To get my mind off that, I'd ordered pizza and watched a movie to pass the time until I could call her. I'd also wondered if I was going to tell her who I was today, but I just wasn't ready. This weekend, she would know who she was talking to. I couldn't wait any longer than that.

I had the phone on at 7:59 PM and hit her name at eight. She answered on a laugh. "Prompt again, aren't we? I'm not going to turn into a pumpkin if you're a few minutes late."

I was smiling at just the sound of her voice. Emmett was right. I was well and truly gone over this girl. "No, but I might."

She giggled. "I know you said your trainer was on you but I didn't know you were that bad off. Should I call you Rolly Polly?"

I snickered. "You do and I just might hang up on you."

"Then you'd miss me," she replied cheekily. It was so very true.

"You're right, I would. How was your day, other than you getting turned on in the middle of class and all?"

I laughed at the huff on the other end of the line. "I'm sure my professor thought I had to pee as I was wiggling around at my desk."

I laughed. "Well, now when you're teaching, you'll know what to look for."

She squealed. "Ew! My students better not be sending sexts during my classes."

I grinned. "Are you kidding? Your male students will be paying strict attention. The girls will be watching to make sure you're not going Mary Kay Letourneau on their boyfriends."

"Edward! I would never sleep with a student!"

I snickered at her outrage. "What if I was your student?"

She hummed. "Well, that's different. You're older than I am."

"You didn't answer my question. Or should I worry about you teaching part time at an old folk's home and picking off a different type of senior?"

"Maybe you should, since you've got me slutting around with all my students."

Hey, that wasn't funny. "I was kidding, baby. You know I don't want you sleeping with any of your students, unless they're me."

"Well, you keep that in mind before you start joking." Holy shit, she had a stern teacher's voice going on. It was hot as hell.

"I certainly will, ma'm. Please excuse my rambunctiousness. My entire body hurts and I guess I'm acting up."

"Oh, my poor Edward," she cooed into the phone, the stern teacher gone now. "I would happily give you that body massage." My cock perked up at that but I willed it down. First, I didn't want it to be all about sex with Bella and second, my arms were jelly right now. I needed some recovery time, the wrong kind. Damn Alec and his squats and crunches and lifts.

I groaned. "I would gladly take it, Bella. My trainer is evil."

She laughed. "Then you should fire him."

If only. "Nah, I needed the workout after my time on the road and when I told him about you…"

Bella gasped. "You told your trainer about me?"

I chuckled which made my ribs hurt. "Not about you, exactly, but about my trip. He thought he'd have more time to whip me into shape and now that he doesn't, well, he's going to work the hell out of me while he can."

She laughed breathlessly. "Well, I can't be sorry that I'm taking you away for a week, but I can be sorry that he's going to work you so hard."

I smiled. "I'm not remotely sorry either. I'd let him quadruple my workouts so long as I could see you after I got through it."

She sighed. "You're so damn sweet, Edward."

I was? "I haven't done much of anything for you yet. Wait until I can see you and touch you and make you smile."

"You already make me smile constantly, but I look forward to the rest of those."

I felt the goofy smile on my face. "You do the same to me, Bella."

She hummed again. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Me too. So did you talk to your friends about Spring Break yet? I guess Emmett went ahead and made reservations, so we're good to go provided you're all good with that."

"Yeah, Rose is definitely coming with us. I'm not sure about Alice yet. She's in a mood right now and I need to talk to her but I haven't yet."

That was odd but what did I know about the things girls did? "That's fine. If there's anybody else you want to invite, feel free." I didn't really want her to, but I figured I'd make her as comfortable as she possibly could be.

She blew out a breath. "No, I'd rather keep it small. We don't need distractions, do we?"

Hell no. My brother was enough of a distraction when he wanted to be, though I hoped he'd make himself scarce, along with Bella's friends. He'd have my back. "I would prefer it just to be a few of us, but I want you to be comfortable."

She laughed lightly. "I can't imagine not being comfortable with you, Edward. It's funny, because I really suck at talking to guys usually but it's easy with you. I wonder why that is?"

I didn't know but I was damn grateful for it. "I'm pretty good at talking to people, but I don't let them in the way that I do you."

"I love that," she told me. "I want you to let me in." Soon, Bella. All the way in if you want.

"I could say the same to you."

She sighed. "I'm pretty close to doing so."

I was very glad of that fact. "If we, if this…" Damn it, why couldn't I just say it? "I would never cheat on you, Bella."

"I know that, Edward. Sometimes it's just hard to silence that voice that says if I wasn't good enough for Tyler how could I be good enough for someone like you?"

That just pissed me off. Not at her. Never at her. But at him. "You just have to know that it's not something wrong with you. It's something wrong with him. He clearly knows what a good thing he lost or he wouldn't have pulled that shit with the flowers. You were too good for him, Bella, not the other way around."

She laughed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so maudlin. I guess I just wish we could rush through the next week and a half so that we can be together. It feels like if we can get through this week, we could maybe be real or something? Is that the right word?"

Was it? Real? It felt right to me. If we could get through who I am, then yeah, we could very much be real. If she could deal with the press and the fame and the attention, then I definitely wanted her. The distance wasn't that much of an issue. I could base myself anywhere really and getting out of Hollywood held a lot of appeal, actually. I could picture Bella all decked out going to the Oscars with me. Would she like something like that? Time would tell.

"That sounds right to me. What we have already feels more real than what I had with my ex. I don't want to put the cart before the horse, Bella, but I really enjoy what we have so far and I want it to be real, if everything works out in person."

"I hope so, Edward," she said quietly. Maybe we were getting too serious.

"Alright, Bella, tell me your favorite thing to do on a rainy Saturday."

She giggled. "There's a subject change. We have lots of rainy Saturdays here. I like to curl up on the couch with a big bucket of popcorn and watch a movie."

That worked for me. "Perfect. What's your favorite movie?"

"I refuse to answer that."

I paused, wondering what that was all about. Did she love something horrible? Was she a Jim Carrey fan? We may not work after all. "Why not?" I asked, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt.

"Because I don't have one favorite. I have tons. Favorite musical of all time? _Grease._ Favorite classic? _Gone With the Wind_. Favorite comedy _? The Hangover_. Favorite John Hughes film? _The Breakfast Club,_ although I love almost all of them."

I let out a relieved laugh. "Okay, that's true. I don't think I could pick my favorite either, though I'm sad to not hear _PCU_ in your list of examples."

She giggled. "Favorite college druggie flick? _PCU._ Favorite high school druggie fic? _Dazed and Confused."_

I nearly choked. "I watched that in my hotel room last week!" What were the odds?

"Really? How great is that? It should be required viewing. One of the best movie soundtracks ever, too."

I could marvel at this girl all day long. "You like classic rock?"

She laughed. "I like everything except for country, pretty much. Dad loved classic rock, so I grew up with The Stones, The Beatles, Zeppelin, The Eagles, you name it."

I smiled. "That was Mom's music, too. And we're of a like mind on country." I'd been inundated with it on the _Wild at Heart_ set, too. Something about setting the rodeo mood.

"Favorite TV show?" I asked her.

" _Supernatural,"_ was her quick reply.

"For the story or the guys?" I teased.

"Can't it be both?" she asked.

"Very good point."

"What about you?"

Oh, man, why had I opened that line of questioning? " _Chuck."_ I cringed, waiting for her response.

"Really? I like that show but I didn't expect you to. Is it Sarah?"

I smirked. "I think it's more the nerdy guy makes good angle that sucks me in. I mean, a hot female secret agent is never a bad thing, but the fifteen year old dork in me loves the idea of getting a computer in your brain and having all those secret agent skills. Plus Casey's a badass."

"And Jeffster rocks," she said with a giggle.

This girl just got me. "Well naturally. Jeffster is the best. Who wouldn't want them to sing at their wedding?"

She laughed harder. "Me, for one. I love that you watch a show like that."

"Yeah, well, don't tell anyone. I have a rep you know."

"Oh, right. I'm sure everybody thinks you're too cool for _Chuck._ They probably all think _Glee_ is your favorite."

I clutched my ribs as the laugh rolled through me. "Ow, Bella, that hurts. _Glee?_ Is that the cool show all guys should be watching?"

She giggled. "I'm sorry, Edward. I don't want to cause you pain. I have no idea what the guys are watching. _CSI_ maybe?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't watch any of those shows. They're all the same to me."

"I know! They all run together after awhile."

"Well, we seem to be of a like mind on TV, unless you're telling me you watch _Glee,_ which is fine but don't expect me to watch with you."

She giggled. "I think we have better things to do than watch TV together."

I grinned. "That we do." Though I kind of loved the idea of talking to her on the phone watching the same show. Maybe we could do that someday with a comedy like _Modern Family._

"I suppose, though, with you hurting that there are some things we shouldn't do tonight." She sounded disappointed and I hated that.

"Well, we can try I suppose…"

"No, Edward, you can't even laugh without it hurting you. This has been fun without that."

It had been. "I like getting to know more about you."

"Me too. Maybe we can do that tomorrow or something if you feel better."

Tomorrow. Jane. Shit. "I actually have a work thing tomorrow night. I don't think I'll be home until later." Damn it. "I'd much rather be with you though."

She sighed. "That's okay; I should probably do homework and stuff anyway. I guess I can go a night without you."

I didn't know if I could. "If I get home early enough, I'll call or at least text you, okay?"

"Sure, but don't sweat it. You have to do what you have to do." Yeah, I did. Kate would have my ass if I didn't go since I was going to win. It was hilarious that they told you ahead of time for these types of awards shows.

"Yeah, but I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too. We can talk on Thursday."

Too far away. "I'll text you during the day tomorrow for sure."

She laughed. "Going to try to set me off in class again?"

I smiled. "You're the one looking at your phone instead of paying attention to your professors. It's your own fault."

"My fault? You're the one who talked about punishing me!"

"Sure, blame me, baby. You were the one who told me to get hard."

She giggled again. "That was for both our benefit, for the shower and other places."

I choked a little as my dick hardened. "Other places?"

"Mmm hmm."

Other places that required me to hold her up? "Such as?"

She giggled. "We're not supposed to be talking about this. You're sore."

Damn it. I was going to kick Alec in the nuts by accident the next sparring session we had. "We don't have to do anything, but you can still tell me." I sounded desperate but she brought it out of me.

"Uh, well, I may have a fantasy about doing it against a wall or a door, you know, just kind of fast and rough and…" she broke off at the strangled noise I was making. "Edward, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just, yeah. That's on the list."

Bella giggled. "Okay, I'm sorry. Maybe you should go soak in a bathtub or something."

It was an idea. "I don't really take baths, at least not alone."

She giggled. "Well, I'd happily take one with you but that's kind of impossible right now."

I smiled at the image of Bella surrounded by bubbles leaning against me in a bathtub. "We'll put that on the list too."

"Sounds good to me." Her voice was getting breathier and I needed to cut this off before I exploded.

"I think I'll take your advice on the tub for now, even though it's definitely not going to be as much fun without you."

She laughed. "A week and a half, Edward. We can spend as much time in the tub as you want."

"We'll be prunes, but I'm okay with that."

"You're incorrigible."

"So are you."

"One of the reasons we fit so well together, I guess."

I smiled. I loved the idea of fitting with her, sexually and non-sexually. "True. Goodnight, Bella. I'll message you tomorrow and talk to you Thursday if not sooner."

"Sounds good. Feel better and sweet dreams, Edward."

"Sweet dreams to you." I hung up and prepared to move from my bed and start my bath. I had a big jetted tub that was finally going to get some use anyway. Maybe one day I'd get Bella in there with me. And that was a thought I didn't need right now. I'd make up for lost time with Bella soon enough.

* * *


	15. Chapter 15

I frowned as I studied myself in the mirror. It sucked going to awards shows like the PCAs because I never knew what to wear. Putting on a tux for the Oscars was easy, but that would be overdressing for this show. I'd decided to go with a suit, minus the tie, leaving the top collar unbuttoned. That, coupled with my Ray Bans, would make me look casual but caring, I hoped.

My ringing phone stopped me from studying myself any further. Sadly it was not the Bella phone. She was in classes and we hadn't really talked other than a good morning so far. It sucked and I missed her.

No, it was Kate. Only one person had the "Maneater" ringtone. I'd dubbed her that after I'd seen her rip into the editor at the _National Inquirer_ for saying that I was gay and posting a picture of myself and Emmett exchanging man hug when he first broke into the business. To say they'd had to eat crow after finding out that they'd not only wrongly called me gay but also incestuous was an understatement.

"Hi, Katie."

"How's my favorite client?" she asked. "Note how I called you my favorite and how I left you alone for two whole days? Who spoils you?"

I laughed. "You're a real humanitarian, letting me catch up on some sleep after the two weeks of hell you inflicted on me."

"It wouldn't have been so hellish if you hadn't hooked up with your co-star," she reminded me. I scowled at the phone but couldn't argue with her. "Speaking of that, did you hear that her marriage wasn't legal? She's already taken off the ring and been seen out last night with Peter Maine."

Peter Maine? "That forty-something washed up rock star? That Peter Maine?"

She laughed into the phone. "Yes! She's really not working her way up, is she? Then again, she had the best already and there was nowhere to go but down."

I had to smile at that. "Thanks, Kate."

"Who said I was talking about you? Egotistical one."

"Who were you talking about then, James?" That'd be the day.

"Hell no. Rumor has it she banged Colin Farrell. He's dirty hot."

I snorted. "Dirty hot? I'll be sure to tell Garrett you said that."

She giggled. "He's right here, glaring at me. Little does he know I'm just getting him worked up so he can get dirty hot with me after we get off the phone."

Gross. "Please wait until after you get off the phone. Spare me."

"Don't worry, sweets, I won't make you listen. I know it would break your heart."

"Epically," I replied sarcastically. "So what can I do for you? I don't want to keep you from Garrett any longer than necessary."

"Alright. I was just calling to make sure you still planned on going to the _PCA's_. You don't need us with you, do you?"

Yeah, I need to be babysat. "No, I'm going with Jane."

"Jane? Janie Turner? Isn't that interesting?"

No. "Not really. You know we're friends. She wants someone to go with since Demetri dumped her so I said I'd go."

"Hmmm. I did hear about him and that Renata bimbo. No talent. How she got on that show is beyond me. I'm sure she blew the producer. Caius Sconno is such a whore."

I shook my head. Kate knew who did who all over town. I guess that's what made her good at her job. "Yeah, they're supposed to be there and Jane needed someone to have her back."

"You're a good guy, Edward."

I shrugged. "No big deal, I was going anyway."

She laughed. "Yes, be sure to thank me when you win."

I snickered. "I hope I don't forget a few names when I'm up there."

She sniffed. "Just remember, Cullen, I know all your secrets."

"Yeah, I know, all powerful one."

"So, are you still talking to that girl of yours?"

I blinked at the abrupt change in conversation. "Yeah." I wasn't ready to tell her about my trip up to meet her though. I'd cross that bridge when I was already in Washington. There was nothing she could do then.

"Does she know who you are yet?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "No. I'm telling her soon."

"Hmmm."

What was that all about? "What?"

"I just hope she gets it, you know. You being out with one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood tonight."

"Why wouldn't she? When I tell her, I'll explain that Jane's just a good friend. It's not like I'm dating her while I'm talking to Bella." I wouldn't do that to her.

Kate laughed. "Oh, naïve one, you do realize that there will be pictures of you and Jane everywhere and speculation as to your relationship?"

I shrugged. "It'll all be bullshit and I'll explain it."

Kate huffed. "One of the hottest men on the planet and still so clueless. Good luck to you, Edward."

Shit. What could I do? "How do I explain it to her without telling her who I am? Wouldn't that only complicate matters? I'm going to tell her soon, very soon, and when I do, I'll explain about Jane."

"Okay, if you say so." Her tone said I was an idiot but I honestly didn't have a solution. I could text her and say hey, I'm going to be out with a female tonight but it's totally not a date, no worries. That would just open up a line of questioning that I couldn't answer right now. Tomorrow I'd come clean. Tonight I had to suck it up and be Mr. Hollywood.

"I do. Now if that's all, I need to finish getting ready."

"What are you wearing? Ow, Garrett, I was asking as a fashion consultant, not to fulfill any sick fantasies."

I laughed at them. Someday I hoped to have a relationship like theirs, so comfortable. "A black suit, white shirt, no tie, top collar unbuttoned, sunglasses."

"What suit?"

"Armani."

"Perfection. You'll be the hottest guy there. Jane will be pleased."

"Ugh, you know she doesn't think of me like that."

She laughed. "I know, but she'll still want a hot guy on her arm. You fit the bill. So, my official stance as press liaison is that you and Jane are just friends, correct?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes. No secret relationship and we're not rebounding on one another."

Kate sniffed. "It's too bad, really. The Ice Princess would shit a brick if you started dating Jane."

Maybe, but I didn't give a damn. "I don't care what she thinks."

"I know. But it'd fun to rub her face in it. No problem. I'll have all denials at my fingertips when the calls start coming. You have a good time and don't forget you've got a meeting with Marcus next Tuesday. He's got the Schrader script and a few other things to run by you according to Garrett."

"I'll be there."

"Okay. We'll be watching! Don't forget to thank me! Oops, I mean us. Stop your whining, Garrett."

I laughed again. "I won't. Talk to you later, Kate." I hung up and flipped to _WWF_. I'd yet to check that today. My morning had been filled with yet another workout with Alec. I was less sore but I might be walking a little stiffly down that red carpet. I hadn't dared get my nut shot in on him though. Fear had kept me from retaliation for my pain last night. I was a wuss, I admitted it.

Sex? Of course she played sex on a day in which I could do nothing about it. I played page off of phone because I had nothing sexy to reply with. Good letters for scoring though. I opened up her message.

_Well, you know, nerves got the better of me, but I managed to perform admirably if I do say so myself. Don't think I didn't notice that you made ME make the first move, Mister. Maybe you're the one who needs the punishing!_

_You will very much need that certain part when you see me, so take very good care of it until you get to me. Then, that'll be my job. I promise I'll handle it even better than you do!_

_I'm going to go take a cold shower while I imagine you in that hot bath. Spring Break can't come soon enough._

_Love, Bella_

I had to laugh at her response. Yeah, I'd had to make sure it was something she wanted though. I didn't want her doing anything she didn't want to do. But she could punish me anyway. As usual, the thought of that got me hard. Bad timing, of course.

**I admit, I did make you make the first move, but I promise my motives were good! I honestly didn't want to push you and while I admit I hoped our first call would go just like it did, I didn't plan on it happening. For what it's worth, I enjoyed our second call just as much as our first. I liked getting to know you better, all the little things that make up the girl that has me so captivated.**

**I promise that I'm handling my part with very special care. I can't let anything bad befall it before it has a chance to make your acquaintance. We are both very much looking forward to being handled by you.**

**My bath was very lonely. I'm not taking another one until I can share it with you.**

**Love, your Edward**

I looked at my signature for a second. How easy was it to type that to her now? It was easy and natural and just felt right. It might be too early for it to really be love but it was definitely something. Infatuation? I didn't know. Hopefully when we met, we could figure it out together.

The Bella phone called to me and I picked it up and fired off a text.

**I just wanted to let you know that I miss you today.**

It wasn't long before she responded.

_I miss you, too. Class was more comfortable but much more boring without you._

I laughed at that.

**No doubt about it! I just read your** _**WWF** _ **response and of course I got turned on yet again. I don't have much time before I have to head out either, so no relief for me.**

_Poor baby! I'll have to take care of you tomorrow, then._

Look at how brave my girl was getting. I loved it.

**I'll very much hold you to that, Bella.**

I stood and grabbed my wallet, keys and other phone. I was sorely tempted to take the Bella phone with me but if I did, I'd likely be checking it all night. It was better to avoid the temptation.

_Please do. I want to show you more of what I can do._

Fuuuuuck. So bad, but so very good.

**You are trying to kill me, but please don't stop. I have to take off now but I'll talk to you tomorrow. I wish I could stay home and be with you tonight.**

I glanced outside and saw the limo already waiting in the driveway. Shit, I had to go. The phone buzzed.

_I wish you could too, but you have work. I guess my toy and I will be driving solo tonight. Hehe Sorry, couldn't resist! Talk to you tomorrow!_

Evil, taunting woman.

**You'll pay for that, baby.**

_Shall I bend over?_

I groaned and adjusted my throbbing dick. Such a bad, wonderful idea to talk to her before I left.

**Yes, naughty girl. You've got a big punishment coming for leaving me in this state when I have to go. Payback's hell, but I promise you'll like it. Bye baby.**

That had to be the end of it. There was no way I could take the phone and let my boner lead me down the carpet. The press might have even more of a field day than they had already. Not to mention the teasing I'd endure from Jane. The ride to her place was a half hour so I'd calm down on the way over. My Bella was too tempting. Soon I'd have more than words with her.

Xoxoxoxox

"Well, don't you look sexy as sin!" I grinned at Jane as she came down her driveway, eying me critically.

"You don't look so bad yourself," I told her. She was poured into some skintight red dress that left very little to the imagination. "Demetri's going to swallow his tongue when he sees you."

She smiled and kissed my cheek when she reached me. "That was the point. Feel free to take his whore away from him, not that I want him back. I'd just like to see him dumped on his bony ass." She wobbled a little in her high heeled shoes.

I laughed and caught her elbow. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass." The driver opened the door and I helped her inside.

"That's right, you have a new girl." She smiled but her voice sounded sad. "Tell me about her."

"We don't have to talk about it, Jane. I know you're hurting and you hardly want to hear me go on about my girl. Tell me what's up." I wanted to talk about Bella but I didn't want to rub it in.

She sighed and leaned back. Her hair was pulled back in some fancy twist and her face was perfectly made up. It was her light blue eyes that showed her pain, though. She reached into her bag and brought out a flask. I did a double take as she tipped her head back and took a swig. "Janie? Since when do you drink before the awards show?"

She smiled shakily and offered me some. I shook my head. "Since I need some liquid courage to face him. Do you know how he broke up with me?"

I shook my head. We hadn't gotten into that, just that Renata was the cause.

"A text message." Her pretty face was twisted with outrage. I couldn't blame her. "'Hey, baby, this isn't working for me anymore. I'll always love you but it's time to move on.' That was it, Edward. That was our goodbye after a decade together."

I took her hand and squeezed it. "I'm so sorry, Jane. The fact that he wasn't man enough to talk to you in person says a lot about him. You're better off without him."

Tears filled her eyes. "I know that in my head, it's my heart that's having a hard time dealing with it. Anyway, the next thing I knew, he was all over the tabs with her. They're the hottest new couple of the week according to _People._ Meanwhile, I'm yesterday's news. They got a picture of me entering the set of my movie wearing sweats, because you know, that's what I wear at five in the morning." Her voice was filled with anger. "The caption was that I was clearly depressed and eating my pain away. They called me fat, Edward!"

Shit, I apparently needed to start paying more attention to the rags. "I had no idea, Janie. You're not remotely fat. Look at you in that dress! I kind of feel like I should cover you in my jacket so nobody sees my almost-sister looking like that."

She laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, I can't say this dress choice wasn't inspired by that picture. Same with my date."

I laughed. "Well, I'm happy to be your arm candy, but Kate's already armed with denials of our coupledom."

Jane laughed. "Good. Much as I love you, I don't think either of us could survive a tabloid romance. It's too gross."

I grinned at her. "I love that dating me sounds gross to you."

"You know it's not an insult. Besides, you've got a girl and I'm ready to hear about her."

"Are you sure?" Not that I didn't want to talk about Bella, but I really didn't want Jane to feel any worse than she already did.

"I'm sure. What's her name, where'd you meet, hit me with the details." She took another swig out of her flask.

I laughed. "We haven't actually met, believe it or not."

"What do you mean, you haven't met? Oh my God, do you have a computer girlfriend? I always knew you were a nerd but that's even too nerdy for you!"

She was smiling and teasing me and I was glad for it. "Not over the computer. Over _Words with Friends_." She raised an eyebrow so I continued. "We started playing a random game together and talking. She's amazing, Jane. She's funny and smart and sexy as all hell..."

"You've seen a picture of her?" she interrupted.

"Oh yeah, she's sent a couple. We've IMed and talked on the phone a few times and we just click."

"Can I see?" she asked. I hesitated and she rolled her eyes. "What, did she send you nudie pics? Come on, Edward."

I took out my phone and pulled up the teacher picture. The t-shirt one was too intimate and all mine. I handed it to Jane and she whistled. "Wow. She is hot! No wonder you're all gaga over her. Where is she? How old is she?"

I smiled and took my phone back from her. "She's twenty-two and she's going to the University of Washington. Her name is Bella. I'm…" I hesitated and then decided to go ahead. "I'm going to see her next week for her Spring Break. Em's coming with me."

She snorted. "Of course he is. God forbid Emmett miss the opportunity to meet some co-eds." She tilted her head and studied me for a minute. "You're really into this girl."

There was no way I could hide it. "Yeah. She's amazing. She doesn't know who I am either, Janie. She likes me for me. It's so freeing to have someone I can just be myself with, without the whole celebrity thing coming into play."

Jane made a face and nodded. "I can see how that would be freeing. But when are you going to tell her? Or are you just going to show up and let her see that you're Edward Cullen?"

I laughed. "I'm telling her by this weekend. I hope she'll be cool with it."

"Who wouldn't be? Having a hot movie star boyfriend is the thing that girl's dream about." She frowned. "I did."

"Yeah, but you're a movie star yourself. You know the shit we have to go through. The paps, the pictures, the inability to go to a grocery store without being recognized. For us, it's normal. For someone like Bella, it'd be a shock to the system. I don't know. I keep jumping the gun with this girl. She makes me want more in every way."

Jane smiled and patted my knee. "You're a good one, Edward Cullen. One of the true good guys in this shitty town. She'll be lucky to have you."

I grinned. "I'm lucky to have her."

She laughed. "You're smitten. I love it. You were never like this over Irina or any of the others."

Yeah, I knew that. "Those were all such pretentious, public relationships. This is different. Something just for me."

"I'm happy for you." She took another slug from her flask. "And I'm about to be happy for the cameras. Don't let me punch him, Edward. I really want to."

I laughed and took the flask from her. "I really want you to be able to stand by the time we get there. I won't let you punch him."

"But can I punch her?" she asked, looking at me hopefully.

"No, I'm afraid not. But we can spend the evening imagining ways to torture her if you like."

She giggled and rested her head on my shoulder. "You always know what I need, Edward. I want to puncture her fake boobs with a fork."

I gave her a half hug. "Use a spork, that would take longer."

She grinned up at me. "True." Her eyes were dilated and I was afraid she was well on her way to being lit.

"How much have you had to drink?" Her flask felt about halfway full. It was a small flask but depending on what she was drinking, she could be well lit.

"You mean now or before I saw you?"

I sighed. "You're going to be trashed, aren't you, Janie?"

"Fraid so, Eddie. But we both know I'm a fun drunk."

Maybe when she wasn't heartbroken and when we weren't at a very public awards ceremony. "Are you winning tonight?"

She shook her head. "Nope, just nom'd. I wouldn't have come but I have to show him that he didn't win."

I sighed and patted her shoulder. "No, he didn't." I was going to be babysitting her all night. Thank God we weren't doing after parties.

"Damn right, Eddie. I'm here with Mr. Sexiest Man Alive himself. Can't top that with his eighteen year old Barbie doll, can he?"

This had potential disaster written all over it. Why'd she have to drink? "Maybe we should skip the carpet and go around the back."

"No way, Eddie. We have to arrive in style! I can't hide inside like I don't belong out there with him."

I sighed. "Fine, but let me do the majority of the talking."

"Okay," she agreed. She closed her eyes and rested her head against my shoulder again. I hoped that she was sleeping some of it off. I was starting to get a bad feeling about tonight but there was really no turning back now. Jane needed me to keep her from doing something stupid. I just needed Bella. I should have brought my phone with me. Even if I couldn't tell her why I needed her, she'd come through for me. I knew she would.

We finally pulled up in front of the Staples Center and I took a deep breath. "You first or me?"

"You," she replied.

Right. I got out of the car and fans started yelling and flashbulbs were going off in my face. I was grateful for my sunglasses, though I'd take them off for interviews. I reached in and took Jane's hand, helping her from the car. "Edward! Jane! Are you together?" I waved at the crowd and the cameras and started down the red carpet with Jane. She wobbled a little in her heels and I held her arm tightly.

" _Entertainment Tonight_ first," I told her through tight lips as Nancy O'Dell was the first in the gauntlet. I slid my glasses into my pocket.

"Edward Cullen and Jane Turner! This is a surprise. Are you two here together?" She had a fake smile plastered on her face and I did my best not to grimace back at her.

"Looks like it, doesn't it Nancy?" Jane asked, batting her lashes and leaning into me. Oh shit. She was talking.

"Yeah, we're old friends so we decided to come together," I supplied.

"Yep," Jane giggled.

"How are you both holding up? It must be hard having your exes move on so publicly."

Great, lovely question, Nancy. "I think that…"

"We're doing just fine, can't you tell?" Jane blew a kiss up at me and I fought not to shake her. I knew what she was doing but I didn't like it. We'd discussed this.

"I was going to say that I'm doing quite well and so is Jane. We hope to have a good time tonight and we're excited to be part of the _People's Choice Awards_." I tugged Jane away before Nancy could ask another question.

"What were you thinking?" I hissed, still smiling as the cameras were everywhere.

"She pissed me off. What kind of question was that? How am I holding up? I'm up, I'm great! I'm…oh shit." I followed her gaze and saw that Demetri was about ten yards away from us talking to Billy Bush at _Extra._ His arm was tightly wrapped around a blonde. I tightened my grip as she sucked in a breath.

"Don't do it, Janie."

She closed her eyes and took another deep breath. "I know, Edward. I know. This is the first time I've seen him. God it hurts."

I slid my arm around her and held her close. I couldn't hug her now, not without having to do some explaining that wouldn't be good for either one of us. "It's okay, Janie. I'm here. We'll get through this together."

Jane opened her eyes and smiled shakily at me. "Okay. Sorry. We should have stayed home."

I touched her cheek. "No, you're too beautiful to hide at home. Let's show him what he's missing. You look way better than she does. Look at her."

Jane looked and her smile became more genuine. "That lavender color makes her skin look sallow."

"There you go. You, on the other hand, look positively gorgeous. Show her."

She took my hand and smiled. "Okay, let's do this."

Xoxoxoxox

We got through the rest of the line without too much of a problem, other than me having to use Jane as a human shield with that Giuliana chick came after me. There were heavy implications of us together and we both batted it away by calling each other friends. There were snarky questions about our exes moving on that were easy for me to answer but Jane stumbled her way through the usual platitudes. It wasn't old hat to her yet and she had been drinking on top of everything.

Demetri was waiting in the entrance along with his date. I felt Jane tense next to me and I squeezed her shoulder in a silent show of support.

"Hi, Jane, you look stunning," he said smoothly. He flashed his ultra-white smile and smoothed back his black hair.

"Demetri," she replied, her eyes sweeping over him and the girl next to him. She really was a girl, too. I'd be surprised if she was really eighteen. "You look," Jane paused as if searching for the word. "Old. Like a father really."

I bit my lip to keep from laughing at the expression of horror that flitted across his face. "Hey, Demetri, it's good to see you again," I told him, not offering my hand. I knew that would burn him a little bit and please Jane as well.

"Cullen," he replied through gritted teeth. "Have you met my girlfriend, Renata?"

Before I could say anything, Jane cut in. "Edward doesn't spend his free time trolling preschools for potential girlfriends, so no, they haven't met."

This was going well. I just smiled winningly at Renata. "Nice to meet you." She was watching everything with wide, wary blue eyes.

"Wow. You're Edward Cullen."

I chuckled as Jane slid an arm around my waist. "Yes, I am."

"Are you with Jane?" she asked and I swear her eyes went up and down my body with interest. Jane stifled a laugh.

"Um, looks that way, doesn't it?" I replied, echoing Jane from earlier. I didn't know what I was supposed to say, but I did know that I wanted to get away from this girl. It looked like if I wanted to steal her away from Demetri like Jane suggested, it wouldn't be difficult at all.

"Looks can be deceiving," she replied sweetly, smiling at Jane.

"That they can. I look like the sexy girl next door, or so they say, but I will throw down and cut a bitch if I have to," Jane interjected. Jesus. I squeezed her shoulder and tried to edge her away.

"Listen, we have to get inside but it was nice meeting you," I said.

"You too," Renata replied. Demetri was too busy glaring between Jane and his new girlfriend to say much of anything. "And Edward, I'd really love to talk to you more sometime. Maybe we could work together." Her voice was dripping with innuendo and I just smiled and turned, yanking Jane away before she could strike. I felt her body tense underneath my hand.

"Why are you taking me away? Let me hit her. How dare she? What, she can't live with just taking one guy away from me? She has to go for you, too? What the hell did I ever do to her?"

"She wants what you have. She doesn't have the talent or the drive to get it by working so she's going the only way she can, which is sleeping her way to it. You're better than that, Janie." She looked slightly mollified and began walking with me rather than struggling to go back to where her ex was.

"Do you think she's fucking the producer of her show?" she asked.

"It wouldn't surprise me. She got the role somehow and I doubt it was her acting."

Jane laughed. "You're the best, Edward."

"Damn right. Now let's get this night over with. I'm already tired of it."

"You and me both." She stopped when we got to our seats and looked up at me. "In case I haven't said enough, thank you so much for tonight, Edward. I never would have survived it without you." She hugged me and I hugged her back.

"You're stronger than you think, Jane. You'd have made it through. You might have ended the night in handcuffs, but you would have inflicted some good damage first."

She giggled and released me. "It would have been worth it."

"You may still have to. I'm a little scared she's going to try to rape me."

Jane laughed and sank gracefully into her seat. "I'll protect you, Edward."

"You better." I sat and wished for the hundredth time that I'd brought my Bella phone with me. I was missing her something fierce. I'd much rather be in bed talking to her than here fending off plastic princesses and keeping drunk friends from falling on their face.

Xoxoxoxox

"And the winner of Favorite Male Movie Star is Edward Cullen!" I did my best to appear surprised as I started to stand. Jane kissed me on the cheek and I squeezed her shoulder as I stood to accept my award. I kissed Jada on the cheek and took the trophy in hand.

"Thank you. I'm honored to win an award like this because it's the people that pay to go see us who vote and without them, none of us would be here today. I'm thrilled that I can make movies for a living and that you all support me. I couldn't do it without my team. My agent, Marcus Johns, the best manager and publicist in the business, Garrett and Kate Steinberg, my mother, who got me into this business in the first place and my friends and family, who keep me grounded at all times. I'd also like to thank the writers, who give us these incredible stories. I've recently learned the power of words and none of us would be here without them. Thanks again to all of you out there!" Bella was on my mind when I mentioned the writers and their words. One day, I'd tell her that.

Someone yelled out that they loved me and I grinned. "I love you all, too." I waved and took my trophy back to my seat. The night was nearly over and I couldn't wait. I wanted to go home and see if Bella was around. Maybe I could talk to her tonight. Maybe I could tell her everything. The next time I came to one of these things, I wanted her to be with me. Jane was great, but she was no Bella. It was time. No more secrets.


	16. Chapter 16

The best laid plans…what's the saying? Well, my saying is, you try to plan and it all gets screwed up. Getitng home early? Yeah, it didn't happen. The throng coming out of the Staples Center was huge and our limos were all backed up. By the time we got to Jane's and I took her to her door, it was almost eleven. I didn't know how late Bella stayed up and I didn't want to risk waking her, so I resolved to tell her everything tomorrow night.

I also had an idea for something we could do together that I thought would be fun until we were actually together. I couldn't take her out to a movie on Saturday night, but I could watch one with her over the phone. Just the thought of hearing her laugh while we watched _Dazed and Confused_ made me happy. Plus, by then she'd know who I was and I could break out my impressions. Hopefully she'd like them. I went to sleep with a smile on my face and Bella on my mind.

The first thing I did when I woke up was reach for my Bella phone. I had a text from her that I'd refused to read last night because I knew I'd want to reply to her right away and then I'd wake her.

_Promises, promises. I'm not going to stop being cheeky and right now my cheeks remain lily white and untouched. Do you want to touch them? We both know the answer to that. I look forward to my punishment and I promise to do everything I can to earn it thoroughly. Bye, Edward._

And my cock was immediately hard. Cheeky was a perfect word for my girl.

**Well good morning to you, Cheeky girl. Eight short days and I'll have my hands all over those cheeks of yours. You definitely know the answer to your question. You're earning your punishment very impressively.**

I sent it and went and jerked off in the shower while I waited for her to respond. I should ask what her schedule was so I'd know when she was in class, so I could sneak attack her. Maybe I should temper my comment a little, let her know it wasn't all about sex. I honestly missed her.

I got dressed and checked my phone. No response. Hmmm, well maybe she was in class and avoiding my pervy texts. I couldn't blame her.

**You busy, beautiful? I was wondering if you might do me the honor of being my date on Saturday night? I was thinking we could watch a movie together over the phone. We could watch some other people get some swats like you'll be receiving soon.**

Okay, so I hadn't kept it all clean. I couldn't help myself though. I craved Bella in a way I'd never wanted anyone else before.

My Bella phone buzzed. There she was!

_Sorry, I already have a date on Saturday night. Guess you'll have to ask someone else._

What? Was she joking? There was no smiley face. Maybe she had plans with Rose or Alice, but why would she want me to ask anybody else? There was nobody else. Only her.

**Well, if you're busy with the girls or something, we could do it Friday maybe?**

It seemed like it took forever before she responded.

_I said I had a date, not that I had plans with the girls. I'm certain that you're more than familiar with the concept of a date. Getting dressed up, going out for a night on the town with a beautiful woman, or handsome man. A date._

I stared at my phone for who knows how long. She had a date. With a guy. But I thought…sure, we hadn't flat out said that we were a couple or anything. How could we be? We hadn't met yet. But I thought she wanted me. Did I piss her off by not talking to her all night? Damn that awards show. I should have blown it off.

 **Oh. Well, I thought we…** I scowled and erased the message. What could I type that wouldn't sound absolutely pathetic? Fuck this, I was calling her. What if she didn't answer? Then I'd text her until she did. I didn't like this date shit, not at all. Why? Why wasn't she waiting to see what we could be?

I hit her number and put the phone to my ear. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Fuck, she wasn't going to answer.

"Hello?" Her voice was cold and nothing like the woman I'd talked to the other two times on the phone.

"Bella? It's Edward."

She laughed, but it wasn't the sexy, fun laugh I was hoping to hear. It was short and hard. "I know who you are."

No, you don't. Maybe that's our problem. Would you have waited for me if you knew who I was?

"I'm confused," I told her, because honestly, I was. Too many thoughts and questions were going through my head.

"I'm not sure what's so confusing for you," she replied, still in that weird tone. She was pissed at me. I just didn't know why.

"I thought we had…" I broke off and ran my hands through my hair in frustration. Why was I having such a hard time talking her now? "Look, Bella, I mean, I thought you and I were going to see what we could be together next week. I guess I just don't know why…" Fuck. "Why you're going out with somebody else."

"Don't you, Edward?"

I waited but she said nothing else. "No, I don't. I'm confused, like I said."

"What's good for you is good for me," she replied.

What did that even mean? "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, I know, Edward."

Know what? What in the hell is going on? "Know what, Bella?"

She huffed into the phone. "I know who you are, Edward Cullen, and I know where you were last night and with whom."

My heart stopped beating. She knew. She knew who I was and she thought I went out with Jane and fuck. Why in the hell did I wait? And why did she know? How? Shit. Who cared? I needed to do damage control.

"Okay, so you know. I was getting ready to tell you and I was hoping you'd understand…"

"Understand? Of course, I get it, Edward. You're a big time movie star and you need a big time movie girlfriend. I provided a nice diversion while you were stuck with your bitch of an ex, but now that you're home, you've got to live up to the image. Kudos to you. I really don't care."

What? No, no, no. None of that shit matters. Image? "No, Bella. I'm not sure when you figured it out but you have to know that everything between us was real. Jane isn't my girlfriend." What was going on? Was I still dreaming? None of this made any sense.

She snorted. "Really? You know, I kept telling myself that last night, when I saw you get out of that limo and hold her hand and then put your arm around her and hold her so tight. I could almost believe it. But then the cameras caught that intimate little moment the two of you had and I saw the look on your face, Edward." Moment, what moment? What look? "You can't tell me you don't love her."

Well of course I loved her, but not romantically. She was just Jane. "Bella, it's not like that! Look, help me out a little here. I can't even wrap my head around all of this right now. When…how did you know?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the line and I worried she'd hung up on me. Then she laughed that hard laugh again. "Ah, why bother pretending? I should have told you long ago and driven you away then. Maybe if I had, I wouldn't hurt so fucking much."

My heart ached at the thought of hurting her. What she'd must have thought when she saw me and Jane on that red carpet. She thought I was no better than her asshole ex. "Bella…"

"I always knew, Edward." Her tone was softer, sadder now.

That…that wasn't possible. "You always knew what? Who I was? How?"

"Remember the day we started talking?"

My head was swimming and I was finding it hard to focus. The words 'she knew' were echoing in my head over and over. "Yes."

"The night before you were on Letterman and you told him you played _WWF_. Alice decided to find you. She picked some name that I knew couldn't be right and I decided to try to find you, too."

But…Jesus Christ. No. It can't be. "You're a stalker?"

She laughed again. "I'm not camped outside your fucking house, Edward. I'm not a stalker. I knew a lot about you. I read your interviews. I just thought I'd try your favorite cartoon and number and it worked."

Yeah, that wasn't stalkery at all. Fuck. This couldn't be happening. I had to be having a bad dream. I'd wake up soon and find out that all was well and Bella was the girl I thought she was, not some super fan that set out to meet me to…what exactly?

"Why? Why did you want to find me? What did you hope to gain from it? You what? Wanted me to fall for you? Laugh about me with your friends? Sell information to the press? What, Bella?" My words were coming out fast and angry.

"I just wanted to know you," she replied quietly.

Now it was my turn for the hard laugh. "Well, I guess you got your wish."

"Yeah, I guess I did."

Who was she? Was she just some show? Did she study all the things I liked and then come up with the perfect answers? What else had she figured out? My bank account password? This was so fucked up.

"I hope I lived up to expectations."

She laughed again. "You exceeded them, for awhile. Not anymore. Why I thought you'd be any different from Tyler is beyond me."

Fuck that. Fuck her. "So Tyler's actually real? What else that you told me was real, Bella? Anything?"

"I…no. You don't get to turn this around on me. What happened to 'I'd never cheat on you, Bella'?"

I hadn't. And I wouldn't but damned if I was going to bother with trying to defend myself to her. "I guess we're both liars."

There was a gasp on the other end of the line and I felt sick to hear the hurt I'd caused her, except I didn't know who she was. My Bella wasn't real.

"I guess so." Her voice was sad and I felt myself wanting to comfort her but I wasn't going to do it. She didn't deserve that from me now.

"There doesn't seem to be anymore to say. If you go to the press with any of this…" Kate would kill her. And me.

Another laugh. "I have no intention of doing that."

Like I could believe her? It didn't fucking matter. She'd do what she'd do, clearly. "Good. Have fun on your date, Bella."

"Have fun with Jane, Edward." I don't know which one of us hung up first, but we did. That was it. Over. Done. Why did I feel like shit? I'd lost nothing. A mirage. An illusion. Wish fulfillment at its finest.

"FUCK!" I shouted. I picked up the lamp on my nightstand and let it fly. That felt good, breaking something. Maybe I should hurl the fucking Bella phone. I wouldn't need it anymore. I raised my hand to do so and my door burst open.

"Edward! Are you alright? What the fuck is going on?" Emmett was in my room and he had a gun in his hand. He was looking around frantically.

"Nothing is going on!" I yelled at him. "Everything is fucking peachy, can't you tell?"

He stared at me and lowered his gun. "What in the hell is wrong with you? There's no intruder?"

I snorted. There was a thief. A heart thief. Bella. Go get her, Emmett. "No, there's no intruder. I got pissed and threw my fucking lamp. And I'm going to throw this fucking phone and every other damn thing in this room because it feels good to break shit!"

"Alright, Eddie. You're scaring me. What in the hell is going on?"

"Nothing much." I laughed and shook my head. "It was all a fucking lie, Emmett."

He walked over to me, sliding the gun in the back of his jeans and pried the phone out of my hands. "What was a lie?"

May as well tell him. "Bella. She was a lie. You may as well cancel our trip to Washington. That's not happening. Or you could have her take her date to the cabin. I'm sure they'll have a mighty good time."

Emmett eyed me warily. "What date? She's going out with someone else? Why?"

Why? Because I was a blind fool, that was why. "Because she saw me with Jane last night and thinks I'm a cheating prick just like her ex, I guess. Doesn't matter." My head hurt. So did my stomach. And maybe my heart, but that was just too damn bad. You can't be heartbroken over losing something you never had.

"Of course it matters." Emmett held my phone out to me. "Just call her and tell her that you're friends. Have Jane call her and confirm it. I'll confirm it. Come on, Edward, you're not going to lose the girl over a simple misunderstanding are you?"

Simple? Nothing about this was simple. "It's not just Jane, Emmett. She knew who I was."

He looked confused, his brow furrowed and his blue eyes narrowed at me. "Okay…what does that mean?"

"That means she's a fucking stalker fan who figured out what my _WWF_ name was and set out to find me."

Emmett blew out a breath. "Shit. For real? How in the hell did she manage that?"

I shrugged. "Interviews I guess? I don't know. The point is she lied to me, all this time."

He cocked his head. "Did she? I mean, you weren't exactly forthcoming about who you were either. Did you ever ask her if she knew who you were?"

"Why would I do that, Emmett? Why would I even remotely think that she was a fan who set out to find me and…whatever the fuck she was trying to do?"

"I don't know, man. Don't bite my head off. I'm just trying to figure this out."

I flopped back on my pillow. "Good luck with that."

"Alright. So, she found you. She talked to you and you liked her. You were freaked about telling her who you were and now you find out that you had no reason to be. Isn't that a good thing?"

I sneered at him. "Who the hell knows who I liked? She probably tailored every comment to impress Edward Cullen. I have no idea if anything she told me was real."

"And you don't have any idea if it isn't," he replied, trying to sound all reasonable and shit. Asshole.

"It doesn't matter. She lied. She was probably getting a good laugh at my expense all that time, while I told her about Irina and being a nerdy kid and everything else." The sex. Jesus. What if she saved everything and was going to a rag with it? The Bella I knew wouldn't do anything like that, but the Bella I knew wasn't real.

Emmett eyed me. "You're never going to know what was real and what wasn't until you talk to her."

I shook my head. "I'm done talking, man. She's got herself a date on Saturday night and I've got…well, I'll figure it out. We can go out on Saturday night."

Emmett laughed. "Yeah, you want to go score some hot women in a bar, go back to their place and fuck them all night long?"

No. I didn't. But I just shrugged. "Maybe."

He got off my bed and pocketed the Bella phone. Maybe he could return it. I didn't need it anymore. "You aren't remotely convincing, Edward. I'm not sure which one of us you think you're fooling."

Fooling or not, I had to do something other than throw shit, didn't I? "I'll be ready by then."

He smirked. "You won't remotely be ready. Why don't you go to the gym and work out some of that aggression? I'll get beer and we'll have a guy's night in tonight."

Beating the shit out of Alec sounded like fun, actually. The rest, eh, but he was a good brother and I sure as hell had nothing better to do.

"Alright."

Emmett paused at my door and smiled. "It'll be okay, little brother. I'll see to it."

"Ever the protector, Em? I appreciate it but I don't think there's anything you can do for me now."

He muttered something and headed out. I got off my bed and grabbed my keys and my real cell phone. No use for the other one, not that I had it anyway. Shit.

"Em, don't call her or anything."

"What?" He walked into the hallway as I exited my room.

"You took the Bella phone. Don't call her and try to fix it. There is no fixing it, okay?"

"Oh, I just took it so I could see about taking it back or getting a new number or something." His eyes were guileless as was his smile. I didn't trust it.

"Seriously, Em, I don't want you to call her."

He raised his right hand. "I swear on Mom's wrath that I am not going to call your girl."

I scowled. "She's not my girl. And I'll hold you to the Mom's wrath thing."

He grinned. "You should. Mom's scary. Now get your ass to the gym. Punch Alec."

That sounded really good. I still owed him for fucking up my last chance at phone sex. Maybe I should fucking thank him. Not that one more time would have done much damage. She already knew plenty.

"See you later, Em."

"You bet, Edward." He waved and I headed to the garage. Nothing like a workout to get my head straight. I needed something, because questions were flying through my mind. At least now I knew why she'd been so patient, why she hadn't pushed me to send a picture or asked what I did. She already knew all that. I'd been so busy being grateful that she wasn't pushing me that I never bothered to question it. I was such a fucking moron.

I pulled up in front of the gym and got out. Alec must have a tag on my ass because he poked his head out of the door. "Cullen! Back for some more punishment?"

I nodded. "Bring it, Alec."

His hand clapped me hard on the back but this time I didn't budge. "Well, well, let's see what you got."

Xoxoxoxox

Emmett had been right. My workout had helped calm me down, somewhat. My mind was still racing but I wasn't feeling destructive at the moment. I drove home and stopped short when I saw the beauty awaiting me.

"Holy shit!" There was a black Hennessy Venom GT sitting in the driveway. I parked the Jag and walked around it. My brother came out and grinned at me.

"How do you like my baby?"

"She's gorgeous. When in the hell did you get this?"

"Special ordered it a week ago. Bribery got it here in one week instead of four. Money talks, little bro." Money did talk and that car screamed money.

"Did I buy this?"

He laughed. "No. This one's all mine. You'll have to get your own."

"Let me drive it," I begged. What better way to get Bella off my mind than to see how fast I could get this baby over 200 MPH?

"Right. I might do that after you threw a tantrum this morning. Sorry, bro. We can take a ride tomorrow. Tonight, we drink."

"We do?" I asked.

"Beers in the fridge, steaks are marinating and I got out every Stallone, Schwarzenegger & good Bruce Willis movie ever made."

I felt myself smiling for the first time all day. "Thanks, Em."

"What are big brothers for? Now go get a shower, I won't have you sweating on my sweetheart." He looked at her like she was a sexy woman. In a way, she sort of was, and she wouldn't lie to him like some women who shall not be named.

"Okay. I'll clean up."

"I'll start the grill. Grab a beer when you're done."

"Will do." Trust my brother to take care of me. He was always on my side.

Xoxoxoxox

"Lemme call her, Em. I need to find out if she's out with him."

"No, Edward." He was kind of blurry but I managed to smack his chest. That's what he got for being so big.

"I just wanna know if she's out with another dude already. I deserve to know that."

"Sure you do. Except you said you don't care anymore," he reminded me.

"I don't. I'm just curious." Curious to know if some other guy is touching her pretty brown hair, feeling how soft it is. I bet it's super soft.

"You're a shitty liar," he told me. "Time for bed."

"Bed. I wanted to go to bed with Bella, Em. It was gonna be so good. You don't even know how good we would have been. Now I won't know either. Fuck, this sucks. Why'd she have to know me? Why'd I have to be me? Why can't I be Joe Smith?"

"Because Joe Smith is boring. You could still be with her but you're being stubborn."

"She's stubborn. I don't need to be with her. Did you know that, Em? I don't. I would have been good with just hanging out with her because I thought she was so cool. She's smart, Em. I guess that's probably true, right? You can't fake being smart like she is."

"I'm sure she's very smart." He grabbed my arm and helped me to my feet.

"She'd have to be to find me. Maybe she's a government CIA person and she hacked the systems."

"I find that highly unlikely."

"You don't know. She could be like that kid in _Die Hard 4_ that did all that shit from his mom's basement."

"True, but she's a lot prettier than that guy."

"She is pretty. Beautiful. So beautiful. I wanted to feel her skin, Em."

"You're a pervert, Eddie."

I fell on my bed and glared up at him. "Not like that, Emmett. I just wanted to touch her. Hold her hand. Romantic shit. I never cared about doing romantic shit before. I woulda not slept with her to prove it."

"That's very chivalrous of you, Edward."

"I am chivalry. What if that wasn't her? Maybe she sent me a picture of someone else. Why are they all lies, Emmett?"

"You don't know that they are."

"No, but they seem that way." I buried my face in my pillow. "Let's call her." She wanted to hear from me when I was drunk. She said so.

"Later. Sleep now."

"Kay. I miss her. The real her. Not the pretend her."

"I know you do. It'll all be good."

"Kay. Night."

"Goodnight."

My door closed and I smacked my pillow once. "Better not be out with some loser, Bella." It was my last conscious thought.

Xoxoxoxox

"Rise and shine!" I groaned at the cheerful voice of my brother.

"Em, go away."

"You've been sleeping for ten hours. Get your lazy ass out of bed. We have a car to test drive."

Car? The Venom. Yes! I sat up and he laughed at me. "You look like shit. Get a shower, we'll eat and hit the road."

That worked. I did my damndest not to think about Bella while I showered. I was so used to thinking of her that was it hard but I was mostly successful. At least I didn't get turned on. Of course, that was because I was wondering if she had some asshole in her bed. It wasn't like my Bella to do something like that, but I'd already established that I didn't know her. And I didn't care. So there.

Emmett handed me a McDonald's bag. "Go to town, Eddie."

I laughed. He knew me well. When I drank, the next day I needed grease. I ate my fries and Big Mac and felt infinitely better.

"Ready?"

"Yeah. Thanks for taking me with you, Emmett."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." We went into the garage and got into the car. Black leather molded to my ass and that new car smell enveloped me.

"Let's do this!" Emmett opened the garage and backed out of the driveway. He drove sedately through our neighborhood. "We're gonna hit the highway so I can open her up a little."

I laughed and slipped on my sunglasses. "You're going to get a ticket."

"I'll talk my way out of it," he told me with a confident grin. We got on US 101 and he took her up to 70 miles per hour. "We're going to hit I-5 and then I'll really let her go."

I shrugged. "Traffic is going suck."

"I'll handle it, Eddie."

Before long we were on I-5 headed north. I smirked. "I told you the traffic was going to blow."

"Down here, sure. It'll open up more when we get further north."

Huh? "Just how far north do you think we're going? I have to meet Alec in an hour."

"No you don't." He hit the left lane and shifted gears.

"Yeah? Are you going to tell him I'm not coming in?"

"No, but what's he going to do about it?" He grinned at me.

"Kick my ass when I get there."

"Well, you'll have a little time to prepare for that." He was laughing to himself as he shifted again and began weaving in and out of traffic. Emmett was a talented driver and I didn't even sweat when he cut between two cars with about six inches to spare.

"What do you mean? Where are we going?"

"Seattle," he replied.

What?


	17. Chapter 17

EmPOV

I had to do something, but what? I'd never, ever seen my brother like that over anything before. Not a girl, not work, not anything. Edward was a cool guy most of the time but he'd lost it big time today and it scared the shit out of me. I thought he was being attacked when I heard that breaking glass and the yelling. Nothing had ever frightened me like he had.

The phone was sitting there, calling to me. It would be so easy to just call her and ask. But I'd sworn I wouldn't do it and I never went back on my word. Especially not when Mom's wrath was on the table. I should never have agreed not to call.

This sucked. This royally sucked. My brother was heartbroken, maybe with good reason, maybe not, but he wouldn't know until he talked it all out with his girl. Why'd she have to go searching for him? Why'd she have to tell him she had? Fuck, if I hadn't given him that message from Jane we wouldn't be in this mess and he'd still be happy and in love. Make no mistake, that boy was in love. He could deny it til his face turned blue but I knew what I saw.

Should I really cancel our trip? I didn't want to. Maybe I should just keep it and see if things worked out before then. My brother was stubborn though, so I didn't know if he'd give in. I could pester him until he did it. Maybe I could get him trashed tonight. He'd be more susceptible to suggestion then. That was a plan.

I had to go get my new car. It was finally in and I couldn't wait to turn her loose. Maybe she'd cheer Edward up. It wasn't every day he got to ride in a Hennessy Venom GT. Not that he was going to get to drive her, but we could go for a ride and turn on the speed. That would probably make him smile at least.

The ringing of a phone stopped my thoughts cold. It wasn't my phone. It was Edward's. Edward's Bella phone. And it was playing _Brown Eyed Girl_. I snorted. Sure, he wasn't in love with her. Blind fool.

I snatched it up and answered breathlessly. Hey, I didn't break my promise. I hadn't called her. She called me. Totally different matter.

"You listen and you listen well, Edward Cullen. When I get my hands on you, I'm going to turn your pretty face into pulp! How dare you make her cry? Do you have any idea what kind of person Bella is at all?" No, I didn't but whoever this was seemed pretty fierce.

"Wait, I'm…"

"Don't you interrupt me, asshole. You broke my best friend's heart. She truly cared about you. YOU, not Edward Cullen. So what if she set out to find you? What are the odds of her actually doing it? She found you and she liked you and you made her smile. I know she warned you about me and I'm telling you right now that you should be very afraid. I will make it my mission in life to make yours miserable if you don't apologize to her in the next hour. You don't want to cross me, Cullen. I have a scalpel and a temper."

No, I most certainly didn't. But I did want to see who this feisty creature was. I was breaking out in a sweat and it wasn't even me she was mad at.

"This isn't Edward. This is his brother, Emmett." I heard a quiet gasp on the end of the line. "I took his phone away because he was going to smash it against his wall just like he did his lamp and God knows what else. What in the hell did your friend do to him?"

"What did SHE do? What did HE do? He took that whore to the awards show and let her hang all over him all night long, then sexy texts Bella and asks her do a movie with him on Saturday night! What kind of two-timing asshole is he?"

Nobody called my brother an asshole. Nobody but me. I didn't care who this girl was. "Listen here, Shouty Girl, Jane is not a whore and my brother didn't take her on a date. She's one of his best friends and she just had her heart broken. She needed someone to accompany her to the show where her ex was going to be with the newest model. Edward was being the good guy he always is and your girl attacked him for it and then comes loose with something even worse! How could she do that to him?" Crap, I was getting pissed now too.

"Just friends?" she asked, her voice returning to a much more normal volume. And what a voice it was. Sexy.

"Yes."

"Then why did he tell her they weren't?"

Who the hell knew? "When did he tell her? Before or after she announced that she knew who he was all along?"

There was a pause. "After, I think."

"There you go, then. He was pissed at her and he lied."

"Well…he's still an asshole for making her cry."

I laughed. This chick had balls. "Maybe. But you can't call him that. I will, if it's warranted. Tell me, does your girl really like him?"

"Yes. She told me several times that even if he wasn't Edward Cullen, she liked whoever he was."

That was good. That was very good. "And did she put on a show for him? Did she act like somebody she's not and lie about shit that she thought he'd like?"

"Of course not! How dare you think that…" she started off on another rant but I cut that dead. It wasn't me that thought it. It was him. And I was going to have to be the one to convince him otherwise.

"I don't know her. I don't know you. All I know is that my brother is very upset and your friend is the reason why. I get that you're protective of your friend. Surely you get why I'm protective of him. He's…" I broke off, not sure if I wanted to say what I was thinking.

"He's what? And my name is Rose, by the way."

Rose. Thorny and beautiful. I bet it was a fitting name. I knew she had the thorns. Hopefully I'd see about the beauty. Good thing I liked a little pain. "Nice to meet you, Rose. I wish it were under other circumstances."

"Save your charm for someone stupid enough to fall for it." I smirked. It worked on whoever I wanted it to work on. I'd made countless girls stupid in my time, but they always left well satisfied. "He's what?"

Fine. "He's a bit lonely. He doesn't think I know it, but I do. His life is very structured and monotonous and careful. He doesn't go out and party because he doesn't want rumors and pictures everywhere. He doesn't hook up with random girls for the same reason. He let your friend in because she didn't know who he was. That was very freeing for him. He got to just be him and not worry about living up to an image." He cared about that shit. He had to. Thank God I didn't.

"She's lonely too, Emmett. She had her heart broken in the worst way last fall and she's been closed off ever since. She finally let him in and then he…it just pisses me off to see her hurt again. And I don't know how to fix it."

I had to laugh. "I was just trying to figure out how to fix it for Edward as well. If your friend really likes him…"

"She does. I think this might be worse than the Tyler situation, because she was so closed off for so long."

"What in the hell is this about a date then? Edward was blathering on about her going out with someone else and moving on already. He thinks she didn't really care, that she was just getting her jollies by reeling in the celebrity."

"That's just stupid! Why would she do that? The date…it's this guy she doesn't even like. She made it without me knowing, because I wouldn't have let her do it. She did it last night after she saw him with Jane and the shit hit the fan."

"So she's not just bouncing from guy to guy?" I had to be sure. I wasn't going to risk my brother's heart a second time.

"No! She may not even go. She's wavering on it already. The guy is good looking but a total snooze."

"That's good for our purposes."

"What purpose is that?" she asked.

"Look, if these two are going to get together, you and I clearly have to get their heads out of their asses. Your girl likes my brother."

"Likes? She's in love with him, even if she won't admit it."

"Exactly! And he loves her, even though he thinks he can't love her because they haven't met. I explained to him that's just how us Cullen's work but he wasn't having it."

"What are you babbling about?" she demanded.

"Nothing. Just trust me when I say she's the one."

"Okay. So what do we do? I don't have long. I'm taking Bella to lunch to try to get her mind off things."

"We don't do anything. I'll take care of it. He'll be in contact with her by the end of this week, I guarantee it."

"How? How are you going to make him contact her?"

I had a very good idea. It was all about a test drive of my new car. Why not put a couple thousand miles on her? "Just trust me."

She laughed. "Why should I do that?"

"Because I'm the only person who can help you."

She made a sound of frustration. "Fine. But if you haven't done something by Sunday night, I'm going to make my own plans which include me coming down to LA and kicking the shit out of your brother."

I had to laugh. "I'd pay to watch that."

"I have no doubt you would."

I grinned. "I'm looking forward to meeting you, Rose. I think we'll have a good time together."

She chuckled. "I know all about your good times, Emmett Cullen. I'm not one of your bimbos. You just worry about your brother, not me."

She was awesome. I'd be talking to her again soon. "I can multi-task. See you soon, Rose."

"What do you mean, see me soon?" she spluttered.

I didn't bother to answer. I disconnected the call and got up. There was much to be done. I needed to get my car, hook up the GPS, pack a bag for both of us, and get some beer and man food. I was going to fix my brother's messed up love life and maybe, if this Rose was as hot as she sounded, have a little fun while doing it. Emmett Cullen to the rescue.


	18. Chapter 18

He was fucking with me. He had to be. "Emmett, quit joking and turn the car around."

Emmett ignored me and gunned the engine. "I'm not kidding. We're going to Seattle."

This couldn't be happening. "Em, I'm serious. Stop messing with me and turn the car around."

"No can do, little brother. You need to talk to your girl."

Why was I sweating? It wasn't that hot. "Emmett, this isn't funny. I don't need to talk to her. It's over. She lied to me."

He glanced over at me. I couldn't see his eyes thanks to his sunglasses but his face was stony. "What did she lie about?"

What was this? "Not knowing who I was, for one."

"Oh really?" He steered around a slow moving truck and fired us back into the fast lane. "Did you ever ask her if she knew who you were?"

"Well, no, but…"

"Okay, then she didn't lie."

Damn it. He was trying to get technical when I had a broken heart. "You know what I mean, Emmett. She knew all along who I was and she let me believe that she didn't. Maybe that's not lying by your form of the definition but it is by mine."

Emmett shrugged. "Okay, maybe. But if she had told you from the get-go that she knew who you were, what would you have done?"

He was showing no signs of turning around. "I would have blown her off." It was the truth. Had I known she was a stalker, I wouldn't have played the game with her, let alone talked to her like I did.

"Exactly!" he shouted with triumph.

"Exactly what, you douche? Take me home."

"No. She didn't tell you she knew who you were because she was scared you'd walk away, which you just admitted you'd do. What other option did she have if she wanted to get to know you?"

Option? How the fuck did I know? "Well, if she presented it in a good way I might have…"

"You're a damn liar, little brother. You'd have high-tailed it in the other direction and we both know it. She knew it too."

"Because she's a stalker!" I shouted. It hurt every time I said it and every time I thought it. My Bella wasn't mine at all.

"She's not a stalker. She's a fan who wanted to get to know you. She did. She liked you. You liked her. End of story."

I sighed. "Yes, it is the end of the story because she lied and she already has a new boyfriend."

He pointed at me. "You don't know that. You know she has a date. That's not the same thing as having a boyfriend."

But it would be, because if the real her was anything like the her I knew, he'd want her and do anything to have her. Jesus, my mind was all over the place. What had Bella done to me?

"It's close enough."

"No, it's not. I know for a fact that she didn't make that date until she saw you with Jane. She has no interest in that guy and is only going because she thinks you're dating Jane, which you did nothing to dispel by lying to her yourself."

I opened my mouth to defend myself when it hit me. "How do you know that?"

He didn't say anything and gunned the engine again. We were going well over a hundred and the cops would be on his ass anytime now. "Emmett, I asked you a question. Did you call her? After you swore on Mom's wrath? You are so dead!"

He snorted. "I didn't call her. Her friend called you."

Friend? Oh, shit, the scary one. "Rose?"

He grinned. "Yeah, Rose. Feisty one! She sounds hot as hell, Edward. I can't wait to meet her. You might want to stand back when we do though. She was threatening all sorts of harm to your pretty face and other essential body parts."

Shit. Maybe Bella hadn't lied about her either. "Bella said she was scary." I was curious as hell and I couldn't pretend otherwise. "What did she say?"

He chuckled. "After she called you a few choice names and threatened your manhood? That Bella liked you, the real you, and she told her several times that she didn't care if you were the Edward she went looking for or not."

I felt something akin to hope blooming inside me and squished it mercilessly. "That's easy to say when she knew she had me."

He shook his head. "She didn't know right away, dumbass. You had to clue her in as you went. What did you talk to her about?"

Too many things. Things that swirled through my mind over and over. Things that could potentially ruin my career if she went to the press.

"Early on she knew I was in Europe and that my ex was traveling with me and that she'd embarrassed me, publicly."

He snorted. "Well, I'm sure that shit got solidified when all the news shows covered Irina's marriage announcement."

I had a bitter taste in my mouth. "Yeah."

"But you talked for a few days before that and she was the same, right?"

"Flirtatious, full of innuendo, sweet…she was a lot of things, Emmett. Probably things that she knew I'd like based on interviews I gave and stuff. I don't know the real Bella."

"That's just it. You don't know that you don't know her." I shook my head, trying to make sense of his sentence. "Maybe she's exactly that girl. Rose says she is."

I glared at him. "She's her best friend, what else is she going to say?"

"Maybe. I can tell you that girl wanted to rip you a new one and if she loves her friend that much, she must have some value."

Of course she had value. She was amazing. Maybe. Shit. I didn't know. "Listen, take me home and I'll think about calling her. I'm not going up there to watch her go out with some asshole."

"It's an eighteen hour drive. If I timed it right, we should be up there in plenty of time to stop her from going out with the asshole, even with a stop for me to get some sleep. I stayed up entirely too long last night with your drunk ass, who, in case you don't remember, wanted nothing more than to talk to your girl."

I did remember. What was it about drunken truths? "Emmett, I'm not just showing up at her door. I don't know where she lives, for one thing and for another…"

"I can handle that." He whipped his phone out of his pocket and made a call. "Hey, what's your address?"

Dear God, he was calling her. I reached for the phone automatically and frowned when I realized I'd instinctually wanted to take it from him.

"I told you I was handling it. Now give me your address, Rose."

Oh, great, it was her scary friend.

"I don't know why you're arguing with me. It's handled. It's underway. No, I'm not telling you so that you can be just as surprised as she is. It's called deniability. I promise she'll have something before she goes out with the boring guy."

I gritted my teeth at the thought of Bella with any guy who wasn't me. Why did I care? I was done with her. Sort of. I mean, I might call her because Emmett would make me. I could suck up one phone call and be more civil to her this time. She'd be calm about the Jane issue and I'd be calm about her stalking me and we could speak like adults and part ways nicely so she didn't run to the press. That was all. One last time to hear her sweet, sexy voice. That was all I needed.

"I said I'd take care of it. Why don't you trust me?" Maybe because you're a dick who kidnaps his own brother? Maybe I should tell her that. But I don't want her to bite my head off.

"I wasn't trying to hang up on you, I had shit to plan. Are you going to give me your address or do I have to work around you?" He paused and scowled. "There, was that so damn hard?" He laughed. "I'll show you hard, thorny girl." A laugh. "Yeah, because you're prickly. Don't worry though, I like it." He laughed again. "I get off on a little pain." God, my brother was gross. "Bring it, sexy. I look forward to it. Talk to you soon." He hung up again, no doubt before she was done again.

"Were you seriously just flirting with Bella's best friend?" I demanded. She was going to kill me. Wait, I didn't care. Yes, I did. Damn it.

"Yeah. I told you, she's hot. I knew it before I talked to her but I totally know it now. She's confident and sexy and I can't wait to meet her. She yells a lot but I'm sure I can quiet her down." He smirked and programmed the address into his GPS.

"Damn it, Emmett. We are not driving to Washington so you can hit on Bella's friend!"

"No, we're driving to Washington so you can talk to Bella. Meeting her friend is just the side bonus I get for taking such good care of my baby brother."

"Sure, asshole."

"You wound me, Edward." Emmett held a hand to his heart dramatically.

"I will wound you if you don't turn this car around. I have shit to deal with." I had two scripts I needed to read before my meeting with Marcus, I needed to touch base with Kate to make sure all the _PCA_ crap was being handled, we had…I grinned. "You know, Em, if we go all the way to Washington there's no way we'll be home in time for Sunday dinner with Mom and Dad."

"Shit," he muttered and I swore he went pale.

"I think I'll just give Mom a call and inform her that you're kidnapping me and that's why we won't be at dinner. I'm sure she'll understand."

Now he was the one sweating. "She'll understand eventually."

"Sure." I got out my phone and grinned at him. "Shall I call her, then?"

He reached for my phone and I switched it to my right hand so he couldn't grab it. "Take the next exit." He didn't say anything but he gunned the engine and cut right through three lanes of traffic without slowing down. I breathed a sigh of relief. I'd won. "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" he asked. We drove right past the exit and he cut back to the fast lane. "I'm just fucking with you, Edward. We're not turning around."

"Fine, then I'll call Mom."

"Go ahead." He was calling my bluff. That was fine. I had no issue calling her. I wasn't the one screwing up dinner. I pulled up recent calls and hit her number.

"Hello, my sweet boy! How are you?"

"Not so good. I've been kidnapped." Emmett was gaping at me and reaching for the phone. "Watch the road, asshole."

"Oh my God! Who kidnapped you? How many of them are there? Let me talk to them. Nobody touches my son! I will send some of the scariest sons of bitches they've ever seen if they touch a hair on your head!" She sounded scared but very, very angry. Shit.

"Mom, it was Emmett that kidnapped me. Calm down."

"Edward Anthony Cullen! How could you do that to me? I was ready to call in the FBI and some hitmen!" Hitmen? Jesus. Of course my mother would know hitmen.

"I wasn't trying to scare you. I was trying to scare Emmett so he'll bring me home."

She sighed. "Why is he kidnapping you?"

"Um." Shit. I hadn't thought this through very well. My jerk of a brother was laughing because he knew all along that I'd have to explain why. Damn it. Why couldn't she just order him to bring me home like she used to when we were little?

"I'm waiting, Edward." I could hear her nails tapping on her desk.

"Well, you see, there's this girl…"

"Oh, is there?" Her voice rose and she sounded very excited. "What girl?"

"Her name is Bella. She's not in the industry."

"Good. Tell me about her."

Shit. "Can't we talk about her after you make Emmett bring me home?"

"No. I'll decide what I want Emmett to do after I know what's going on."

Crap. "Bella lives in Washington."

"The state or the Capitol?" she asked.

"The state. Emmett's driving me there against my will."

"Why?" She sounded only mildly interested but I knew that wasn't the case.

"Because she and I had a falling out and he thinks I need to talk to her in person."

"Put your phone on speaker." That was more like it. Time to get Emmett. I did so and grinned at him.

"Emmett?"

"Hi, Mom." He sounded sheepish and nervous.

"Don't you 'Hi, Mom' me. Why are you driving your brother to Washington over some girl?"

He grinned at me. "Because she's his one, Mom. He won't admit it but she is."

There was a gasp on the other end of the phone. "Are you sure?"

"Hell yes! You should see his face when he talks about her." I scowled at him. "He's totally fucking gone over her, Mom."

"Language!" she yelled and Emmett winced like she'd slapped him, which she would have had she been in the car.

"Sorry, Momma."

"Do you think I don't know you call me Momma when you're in trouble? I think I've caught on after twenty-six years, Emmett."

I smirked at him. "Edward!" I jumped.

"Yes, Mom?"

"Is what your brother says true? Are you in love with this girl?"

Yes. No. I did. I don't know. "I…I thought I was but it's complicated."

"Love can be. Tell me about her."

"We haven't met." I was getting desperate because it was clear that Mom was not sending out the cavalry yet. "I only know her through the phone and computer."

"Hmmm. Well, in this day and age that seems to be pretty common. How old is she?"

I sighed. "Twenty-two. She's studying to be a teacher. At least she says she is."

"Okay, what happened between you two that requires your brother to kidnap you and take you to Washington?"

"Yes, I got a kickass new car and…"

"Emmett Matthew Cullen, I warned you about the language!" He winced again.

"Sorry, Ma."

"You and I will be talking later." I laughed. He was in deep shit. "Edward, tell me everything."

So I did. I told her how talking to Bella had gotten me through my heinous press tour and how well we'd talked over the phone and then finding out that she knew all along who I was and how she was pissed about Jane and that she had a date on Saturday night. I left out how sexually charged our conversations were, though. There were some things I'd never share with my mother.

"So, she kept something from you and you kept the same something from her, is that correct?"

I sighed. "Well, yes, but…"

"No buts. Now you're worried that she isn't the girl you thought she was? That she took everything she knew about you and became some fantasy girl that you had to have?" Trust my mom to cut through all the bullshit and call it like it was.

"Yes."

"I see." What did that mean?

"Well, are you going to make Emmett bring me home?"

"No. I think you need to talk to this Bella."

"Exactly!" Emmett shouted.

"Don't think you're in the clear, Emmett. You should have told me what was going on."

He shrank a little in his seat. "Sorry, Ma."

"Edward, you need to see for yourself if this girl is who you thought she was. If you don't, you'll always wonder and it'll eat away at you. I know my little boy." Little boy my ass. She was throwing me to the lions. "You need to talk to her. It sounds to me like you really care for her. If you didn't, it wouldn't hurt you so much that she knew who you were all along."

"I know, Mom, but…"

"What did I say about the buts?" Emmett opened his mouth but thought better of responding. "The only way you'll know that she's not lying is if you sit down and talk to her face to face. You've always been a fairly good judge of character, recent exes aside." Emmett laughed at that and I glared at him. "Talk to her, Edward. It won't kill you."

It might. It might kill me to be in the same room as her and not touch her and kiss her and hold her in my arms. But maybe, maybe if they were right and Bella was the same girl I'd fallen for, then maybe I could do that too.

"Okay."

"Emmett, you drive carefully. The last thing we need is you getting arrested for reckless driving."

"I've got my toys, Ma."

She laughed. "I'm sure you do. Call me after you talk to your girl, Edward. I'll be looking forward to meeting her soon." Emmett hooted with laughter at that. "And Emmett? You will make up for disrupting our family dinner."

I grinned as he frowned. "Ma…"

"I need an escort to the Melon Gala in a few weeks since your father has a conference out of town. Try on your tux when you get home."

He looked horrified. "Ma, I can't because…" Now it was my turn to laugh. If there was anything my brother hated more than getting dressed up and going to some boring charity or fundraiser, I had yet to find it.

"You will, Emmett. Call me by Sunday, Edward. Goodbye."

"Fucking hell."

"I heard that!"

"Shit! Hang up, Edward!" I laughed as I did so. "Damn you."

"That's what you get for kidnapping me."

"Here I am, delivering you to your one true love and I'm getting stuck with charity duty. You will owe me big when this is all said and done."

"Right, I'll owe you for taking me out of state against my will."

"If you really don't want to go, call the cops. Unlike Mom, they'll come running."

I looked at my phone in my hand and back at my brother. I slid it in my pocket.

"See, you want to go."

I shrugged. Between Emmett and my mother, I wasn't sure what I wanted anymore. Actually, no, that was a lie. I wanted to go back to two days ago and do it all over again. Back to ignorant bliss with Bella.

"Edward." I looked at him and he tipped down his sunglasses. "You need to talk face to face. You'll know what's real when you're there with her. You can't hide from each other then."

He was right. No more hiding. I wanted Bella to be everything I thought she was and I'd never know for sure until I looked into her gorgeous brown eyes and saw what was behind them.

"Alright, Emmett. Let's do this."

He hooted and stepped on the gas again. "You won't be sorry."

I hoped not. At least I'd know, one way or the other, if Bella was the girl for me. "Step on it. I want to get there before she goes out with the asshole."

"That's my boy!" He shifted gears again.

Hopefully I'd be Bella's boy when all was said and done. I couldn't pretend anymore that I didn't want to go. Tomorrow I'd know one way or another. "Em, did you cancel the cabin?"

He laughed. "Hell no. If you still want me to after this visit, then I'll think about it."

I felt myself smiling for the first time since yesterday morning. "Did Rose really say that Bella liked the real me?"

Emmett put a hand on my shoulder. "We wouldn't be going up if she didn't."

"Alright. I'll talk to her and see."

"Washington here we come!"

Bella, here I come. I hope you're ready. I hope you're real. I need you to be. I need you.

* * *


	19. Chapter 19

"We're late," I muttered through clenched teeth. Damn my brother and his need for speed.

He glanced at the clock as the GPS chirped directions. "It's not quite seven yet. What time was her date?" I shot him a look and he laughed. "Oh yeah, you wouldn't know because you ran away from her like a sissy."

I punched his arm and he didn't even wince. Damn him. "We wouldn't have been close to being late if you hadn't gotten pulled over."

He smirked. "Hey, I didn't get a ticket, did I? Besides, it's not my fault that the radar detector didn't do its job." He scowled at it. "Damn tricky undercover cops."

I glared at him. "A ticket would have taken far less time than you going down to the police station and running through the obstacle course five damn times!"

Emmett scowled. "He didn't think I could do it. I had to prove myself. And I was right. Besides, if I got a reckless driving ticket, I might lose my license. It had to be done. If I got arrested, we wouldn't be here now, would we?"

That was a fair point. "And you just had to let the cop drive your car, when you won't let me?" That smarted, I had to admit.

He chuckled. "Tell you what, little bro; you can drive part of the way home if you and your girl patch things up. If you ruin my vacation plans, I'll be forced to ban you from driving my baby." He ran his hand lovingly over the steering wheel.

I was slightly mollified that I'd get a turn when we went home. Wait. When were we going home?

"Um, Em, what is our plan here? I have a meeting with Marcus on Tuesday."

"Well, that depends on you and your girl. If you talk and hate one another, which I sincerely doubt, then we'll leave tomorrow morning. If you talk and get along, we can stay an extra night and drive straight through on Monday. Taking turns we should be okay, even if you do drive like Grandma Platt."

I most certainly did not! "I speed, you jackass."

"Barely," he snickered.

"Not all of us want to get arrested every two months."

"That's not fair! I haven't been arrested in almost a year. I'm practically a boy scout," he sniffed.

"You were never a boy scout, Emmett," I reminded him.

He laughed. "Of course not, where would the fun be in that? Though it would have been cool to learn how to light fires without a match."

Yeah, that was just what the world needed, another way for Emmett to get in trouble. "No, it would not have been."

"Whatever. We're here." I looked up as he pulled into an apartment complex. My stomach immediately dropped. Jeez, I was nervous. I didn't know what I was going to say or do when I saw her. I knew I needed to look into her eyes and get the truth, but what was it? Would it make us or break us?

"Stop freaking out. It's apartment 214. Let's go." Emmett was up and out and I had no choice but to follow him. We walked up the stairs and there it was. "You're up, lover boy." I swallowed and knocked. How weird was this? I hoped we were in time.

The door opened and I didn't see anyone. "Of fucking course," a sarcastic voice said. I looked down and saw a short girl with black hair peeking around the door. Her face was red and blotchy, like she'd been crying. "Edward Cullen at my door at last and it's not even for me. And I'm wearing sweats with the word juicy on the ass. This week has been fucking stellar all around."

I glanced at Emmett who was eying the tiny chick warily. I probably was as well. "Um, hi. Is Bella here?"

She heaved a sigh and opened the door further. "She just left for a date." I winced and she smirked. "Yeah, well, turnabout's fair play, buddy. You went on one and so did she."

"It wasn't…" Why was I explaining myself to this person? "Never mind. Let's go, Emmett."

He put a hand on my shoulder and I glared at him. It was his fault we were late. "Where did she go? When will she be home?" Emmett asked.

The girl sighed. "I don't know. I know nothing about what Bella does these days, clearly."

I turned and started to walk away. I couldn't just sit here and wait for her to return. Maybe she wouldn't come home tonight and maybe that would kill me.

"Wait!" the girl called. I turned and looked at her. "I'm fairly confident she won't be long. Why don't you come in?"

I glanced at Emmett who shrugged and stepped inside. I really had no choice but to follow.

"So, which one are you? You don't sound like Rose," he told her as we walked into the living room. There, on the entertainment center, was a picture of my Bella and the girl we were with and a blonde. Emmett walked over to it.

"I'm Alice," she muttered, falling into a chair and gesturing at the couch. I sat while Emmett picked up the photo.

"Is that Rose?" he asked, his voice a little higher.

Alice snorted. "Yes."

"Hot damn," he said and I shook my head. Of course he wanted her.

"She's not home either and I don't know where she is. Nor do I want to."

Emmett turned and pinned her with his gaze. "You don't seem to know a lot, but you do seem to be pretty pissed off. Should we go?"

She glared at him. "No, I really don't know a lot. Why don't we start with why you're here?"

He sank down next to me. "Well, you didn't seem overly surprised to see my brother at your door, so I'm guessing you know that he's involved with Bella."

She snorted. "It didn't really look like it on TV on Wednesday night." I winced. What must Bella have thought, knowing that it was me? No wonder she was so cold on Thursday morning. But I couldn't fix it then, because I was too mad that she knew who I was. It was all so fucked up.

"Jane's just a friend," I said for what felt like the billionth time.

Alice looked at me, her gray eyes seeming to bore into my skull. "Well you did a shitty job showing it and you should have told her beforehand. All these fucking secrets," she muttered angrily.

Tell me about it. "I didn't know she knew who I was! I thought I'd have time to tell her and get her used to the idea of what my life entails before she was confronted with it like that. She lied to me, you know?"

The gray eyes flashed with anger. "Oh, believe me, I know. She didn't tell me shit about you. She knew I was trying to talk to you and she never said a word."

I vaguely remembered her saying something about Alice looking for me too and I shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh, calm down, I'm not going to jump you. I've got my own problems," she told me angrily.

Emmett was giving her the stink eye. "What's your deal?"

"What's my deal? My deal is that my Edward turned out to be a seventeen year old while my supposed best friend found the real one!" She gestured at me. "And she didn't even bother to say a word about it and I had to find out while she was watching him molest Jane on the red carpet and freaking out."

I winced and opened my mouth to defend myself but Emmett beat me to it. "So, you're jealous then."

That was clearly not what Alice wanted to hear because she screeched and threw something at him. He caught it and set it on the coffee table. It was a remote control. "Damn girl, you need to calm the hell down."

She took a deep breath and held up a hand. "Okay. You're right. It's just a little difficult to deal with the fact that Edward Cullen is in my living room waiting for Bella while my dream guy is probably trying on a tuxedo for prom."

Emmett snorted and she shot him another hot look. "I'm sorry, but that is kind of funny. You went looking for Edward, huh? What screen name did you pick?"

I was so not comfortable with this conversation. My eyes fell on the picture of the three girls. My Bella looked so happy, her brown eyes twinkling. She was tan and in a bikini, as were the other two. She was stunning. And it smelled good in here. I'd walked close enough to Alice to know that she didn't smell like apricots and vanilla so I could only wonder if that was Bella's scent. And if some guy smelled it on her right now and was going insane with need for her. I would be. I was.

"Steven Steele," she muttered and Emmett burst out laughing.

"Really? Why in the hell would he use his character's name? How lame would that be? Is Stallone rocking a Rambo _WWF_? That's awesome."

Alice looked like she wanted to kill him. "Okay, so it was stupid. But I really liked my guy and then he turned out be a little kid and Bella has him." She pointed at me again.

Emmett snorted. "Seventeen is not a little kid. I was doing things at seventeen that could make your toes curl." He gave her his best panty-dropping smile but she appeared to be immune, just narrowing her eyes at him. This was one friend of Bella's I didn't need to worry about him with.

"It's not fair." Her arms were folded across her chest and she was pouting. She really did look like a kid. Perhaps she should date the teenager.

"Maybe not, but who said life was fair? You and my brother should be happy you found someone you connected with. Some of us aren't that lucky." I heard that wistfulness in his tone again. Was my brother actually lonely? It seemed inconceivable.

Alice didn't say anything else but her glare wasn't as prominent so maybe that was a good thing.

"He lied to me," she said a minute later and her voice sounded sad. It was interesting that we both kind of had the same situation going on. And my family thought I was handling it bad? Look at her!

"Well, of course he did. You thought he was Edward and he liked you. Bella lied to Edward for the same reason, which is why I dragged his ass here. It's time to face reality. It seems you're having a hard time with that."

She scowled at him. "Why are you even here? Can't you go someplace else?"

"I'm giving my brother moral support," he replied, though his eyes went back to the picture I'd just been staring at.

"Sure," she muttered. She looked at me for a minute and her expression softened some. "Look, Emmett, why don't you go and get a hotel room or something? I need to talk to Edward and I need to do it alone."

He looked at me and I nodded. Even if she was psycho, she was tiny and I thought I could handle myself.

"You sure, bro?"

"Yeah." I was curious as to what Alice wanted to tell me. She was pretty angry at Bella herself. Was she trying to drive me away? It wouldn't work. I needed to see Bella and know for myself what was real and what wasn't.

He stood and shot Alice a look. "Don't do anything that will make me come after you."

She snorted. "As if you would."

It was true. Emmett would do a lot of things but he'd never touch a girl in a violent way. "Maybe not, but I could call my mom or his publicist and I assure you, you don't want either of them on your ass."

She rolled her eyes. "Got it. Now go."

Emmett turned to me. "I'll go get a room and some food. My phone will be on. Call me if you need me."

I nodded and he left. Neither of us spoke for a few seconds. "What did you want?"

She sighed and looked away from me. "Answers, I guess."

I laughed. "Me too. That's why I'm here."

She looked back at me. "You like Bella. You must really like her, or you wouldn't be here."

I did. I do. Damn it, it was hard to know what I felt. "I like the Bella I thought I knew. I don't know if that's the real Bella or not. That's why I'm here, to find out." I paused. "My brother thinks the only way I can really know is if I'm with her, so I can see what's real and what's not."

She nodded. "That makes sense I guess. You can't really know someone that quickly, enough to know that they're the one."

I didn't know that that was true. I knew I felt like I had, but I didn't know what was real. "I don't know. I'm kind of all messed up in the head right now and I'm just trying to figure it out. I thought I could walk away when I found out she knew who I was the whole time but I missed her." So much. Fighting with Alec had distracted me a little, drinking had numbed me, but she was still always there.

"I miss Jasper, too," she said softly and her gray eyes filled with tears. Shit. I didn't want her to cry.

"Uh, is Jasper the fake me?" How weird was that to say?

She laughed and wiped at her eyes. "Yeah. He was my Edward."

I leaned forward. "And you really liked him, even after only a few weeks?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I thought he was my soul mate. It hurts to lose that." That was something I knew all too well.

"Well, who says you have to lose it? I mean, I'm here to see what this thing with Bella is, despite the stuff she kept from me. I kept my own secret from her by not telling her who I was."

"He's seventeen, Edward," she replied drily. I had to admit that was kind of gross.

"Okay, but he won't always be seventeen. How did you find out anyway?"

She started to laugh and cry at the same time. "His mom called me! She got their phone bill and wanted to know about all the texts to my number and assumed I was some schoolmate of his. She asked me if I wanted to go to prom with him. How rich is that?" That was definitely worse than my own reveal with Bella.

I looked around and saw some Kleenex on the bar leading to the kitchen. I got up and grabbed the box and handed it to her. "Thanks," she sniffled.

Maybe mine and Bella's situation wasn't that bad, comparatively. Prom? Thank God Bella wasn't seventeen. "Okay, that sucks," I agreed.

She laughed some more and dabbed at her eyes. "You're telling me." She shook her head. "This is surreal. I'm sitting in my living room with Edward Cullen telling him about how my search for him led to me falling for a seventeen year old. Life is officially weird."

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess it is." I shifted again. I hated being reminded of the fact that they looked for me.

"You're uncomfortable with that. I'm sorry." She sounded it.

"It's okay. It's just kind of weird for me, too." I looked at her closely. "I don't get why you wanted to find me. Why either of you did. I'm just…me."

She smiled. "You're hot, for one thing." I felt my face heating and she laughed. "That was really all I needed." Right. Of course. She paused and watched me again. "Bella really likes you though. I mean, she cared about the stuff that was said about you and when Irina cheated on you she got mad."

I didn't know how to feel about that. Part of it was nice and another part of it was creepy. "I…"

Alice sat up and tucked her legs under her. "I'm not trying to make you feel weird or anything and I can't tell you for sure what she wanted or thinks because I got shut out of this whole thing. Part of that is her fault, part of that is my fault. But I do know she likes you. I saw her face when she saw you with Jane and I…" she broke off and her eyes started tearing up again. "I said something really cruel to her and made it worse I think. Either way, she was devastated."

The thought of Bella devastated because of something I'd done, innocent though it may have been, tore at me. "I was going to tell her who I was the next day." I laughed sarcastically. "Of course she already knew and instead of us talking it out, she was mad about me dating Jane and I was mad about her lying and things just blew up."

Alice blew out a breath. "So that's why she's out with Colin." Colin? What kind of name was that? He sounded like a stuck up turd. That's who was named Colin.

She must have seen something in my expression and she shook her head. "You don't have anything to worry about. She didn't want to go. The only reason she did is because of you and Jane."

Damn it. "How do you know? I thought you two were mad at each other."

"I don't have to talk to her to know what she's feeling. Her heart is broken and Bella's not the type to bounce back from that quickly. After Tyler…" just his name made me want to punch something. "She shut herself off for months. Hell, I didn't even know she'd opened herself up until I saw her face on Wednesday night."

"He was real, then? He cheated on her and knocked up some other girl?"

Alice made an angry sound. "Yes, he was all too real. He crushed her. If she let you in, then that's more than she's done with anybody else for almost eight months."

And I'd lashed out at her. With reason, yes, but she still didn't need that from me. I wished for the billionth time that we'd just talked it out before the _PCA_ 's, so maybe we would have been calmer. I didn't know that I would have taken it well then either, but at least she wouldn't have been hurt and angry and maybe we could have talked instead of fighting with one another.

"I didn't take it well when she told me she knew it was me all along," I told Alice.

She laughed. "No, I imagine you didn't."

"I just finally had someone that I thought liked me for me, not for being the actor, and then found out she knew. I didn't know who she liked or who she even really was. If she could figure out my _Words_ name, she could figure out lots of things and be who she thought I wanted."

Alice looked at me thoughtfully. "So you came to find out if the girl you thought you knew is the girl she really is." I nodded. "Well, I can't say since I didn't know anything about it, but Bella's not very good at being anything other than she is. She's a terrible liar, so I'm surprised she didn't slip up with you at all."

That was a relief. "She kept it from you, too."

Alice grimaced and I wondered if I'd pissed her off again. "Yeah, but the signs were there. I just wasn't seeing them. I was wrapped up in Jasper. Rose was right about that. She's been happier recently. I saw her talking to Colin and thought maybe she was ready to date. It seems she was, though it wasn't him she was ready for."

My hands balled into fists at the mention of that guy again. "Apparently she was."

Alice shook her head. "Just a few days ago, I pushed her to go out with him. She said she wasn't interested. I think she was about to tell me about you but that's when I got the call from Jasper's mom." I fought not to smile at that but I failed because she glared at me. "Laugh and I won't help you."

"Help me how?"

She smiled. "I have an idea. You want to know if you knew the real Bella?"

"Yeah," I agreed.

"Well, I'll ask her..." she broke off when she heard something outside. She ran to the window and peered out. "Yes! She's home." Already? It was only a little after eight. Alice ran back to me and pulled on my arm. "Go! Get in her room." She pointed to the only door to my right. "Just sit there and listen."

"Alice, I don't think…" I got to my feet and she shoved me toward the room. For a little thing, she was actually kind of strong and I stumbled.

"Don't think, just do. Trust me." She looked at me pleadingly. "I fucked up with her too, Edward. This is something I can do to maybe make it up to her."

I was dying to look out the peep hole and see who this guy was and if she was kissing him goodbye. But if I did that, I'd probably be caught. I sighed and hurried into the room. It was dark so I couldn't see much but turning on the light was not an option. That apricot and vanilla smell assaulted me. It was her. My mouth watered.

I heard the door open and had to sit down and hold on to the edge of the bed in order not to hurry out and just look at her.

"You're home early." Alice's voice had an edge to it and I prayed she wasn't about to fuck me over. She said she owed Bella but whatever this tension was between them was clearly still there.

"Yeah." I heard her beautiful voice and I had to fight the urge to move again.

"So how did it go?"

"Are you talking to me again?" I heard the tone in Bella's voice that had been there when she talked to me last. She was definitely pissed off.

"It appears that way," Alice replied.

Bella made some weird noise. "Well, that's great but I'm really not in the mood right now." Shit, she wasn't going to listen. I stood, prepared to face her.

"That's too bad. I'm in the mood to talk about everything. I think you owe me that much after you lied to me for weeks."

"I didn't lie to you! I just didn't tell you I was talking to Edward. You would have been so upset, Alice. Hell, look at how you did take it."

Bella sounded so sad. I wanted to go to her.

"I know how I took it and I'm sorry. I still think you were wrong for not telling me but I never should have said the things I did." Alice sounded remorseful. "Will you please sit down and clue me in?"

I heard a sigh but she must have complied because she didn't come in. I sank back down onto the bed. I was finally on Bella's bed, but I was alone. There was something very wrong with this picture.

"What do you want to know?"

This was it. "First tell me why you're home so early."

"You know why. I didn't want to go in the first place. It didn't take Colin long to figure it out. He told me we could call it a night after we ate our appetizers. He's a nice guy and he deserved better than a non-date with me."

I tried not to be happy that her date was a wash but I was.

"Did you kiss him?" My hands clenched again. Damn it, Alice, what are you trying to do to me?

"Of course not. We agreed to part as friends and he told me that if I decide I'm really ready to date, to let him know." Sorry, Colin, not gonna happen. Take your douche name and find another girl.

"Well, that's good. Now, tell me what happened with Edward."

I heard a sharply drawn breath. "You know what happened. I saw him with Jane." The pain in her voice when she said Jane's name cut right through me. I was so fucking dumb.

"Yeah, that I know, but what happened then?" Alice was prompting her and I was dying to just go peek at her, but I had no idea where she was sitting and if she'd see me.

"I was stupid. I made the date with Colin and then when Edward texted me about spending time with him told him I had a date. He called and it all came out. I was mad so I told him that I knew it was him and he called me a stalker and told me to have a good date."

"He called you a stalker?" I heard the anger in Alice's tone and the sadness in Bella's and felt like shit. I hated that I hurt her. I couldn't take it back though and I knew I would probably do it again in the same circumstances.

"Yeah."

"You're not a stalker, Bella."

"That's what I told him but he didn't want to hear it. I just wanted a chance to get to know him. I don't know what's so wrong with that." Her voice was making my heart break.

"Nothing's wrong with it. When did you figure out that you had him for sure?" That was a good question.

I heard her release a shaky sigh. "I didn't know for sure until we IMed. He told me his name was Edward a little before that so I suspected I was right, but I wasn't sure until then."

"How'd you know?" Alice asked.

"Stuff he shared with me about Irina. The fact that he was in Europe. I don't remember; it was a lot of little things that confirmed it for me."

"And if it hadn't been him?" There was the million dollar question.

"I wouldn't care, Alice. I liked him. He made me feel…shit, I don't even know how to describe it. He made me feel beautiful even before I sent him a picture. He made me laugh and turned me on and made me happy all at the same time." I felt myself smiling, really smiling. Unless Alice was prompting her, that was real. That was what I needed to hear.

"Did you, I don't know, act any differently with him?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, did you act like someone you're not to get him to like you? You figured out his name, right, so maybe you figured out his perfect woman." I had to bite back a laugh as Alice quizzed Bella. She really was trying to get all the answers for me. Bless her.

"Why are you asking me so many questions?"

"Because you shut me out, remember?" Alice got loud and I shook my head. Don't get mad again, little one.

"Alright. No. I don't know anything about what sort of person Edward likes, Alice. I know who he's dated and I can't remotely compare to them looks-wise." That was patently untrue. She was gorgeous. "Who else would I be? I suck at being anybody but me. I tried to be like Rose tonight and Colin saw right through me and brought me home."

"You weren't ready," Alice told her.

"I know. I nearly called it off but I figured since Edward hates me now, there was no reason not to go. I'm going to have to date eventually, right?" No, not right at all. Not unless it's me.

Alice laughed. "I don't know. You did alright without dating before. You got Edward Cullen."

"I lost him." Her voice sounded so sad. I needed to touch her and tell her she didn't lose me. Hurry the hell up, Alice. I can't take this much longer.

"Maybe. Have you tried to talk to him since?"

"No. I haven't even looked at _Words_ or my email because I knew there'd be nothing from him and it would hurt to see that. Hearing from him has been the highlight of my day, even when we just had time for a quick word and a couple sentences."

I feel the exact same way, Bella. Damn it, I should have played a word while my brother was driving. Like her, though, I hadn't wanted to look and see nothing or reminders of happier times before we knew each other's secrets.

"Well, if you really like him, you should try to talk to him. Explain that you like him, fame or no fame."

Bella laughed and it was that laugh I'd heard on our phone call, that hard one that she should never laugh. "You didn't hear him, Alice. He hates me. He thinks I'm a stalker. He thought I made up Tyler, for crying out loud. Why would I do that?"

Bella, don't you know? Lots of people would do that to me. The shit people try…not you, though. Thankfully not you.

"People do crazy things to meet their crushes. Look at us," Alice supplied. "I was sexting a teenager."

She was sexting him? No wonder she sent Emmett away. If he heard that he would have been relentless.

"Did you talk to him yet?"

"No. I was going to on Wednesday but…"

"Yeah, but…" Bella said quietly.

"I'm sorry for what I said. I was hurt but there was no excuse for that. Rose was right about me."

"I'm sorry, too. You couldn't have known that I was talking to Edward. I should have come clean the morning after I sent my first word."

"Maybe, but I still would have been convinced I had the right Edward. Steven Steele, how stupid was I?"

Bella laughed. "You could just as easily have been right."

"No. You deserved to find him. I'm sorry. I was jealous as hell and just so angry, Bella." I couldn't hear but it sounded like there were tears again. This sucked.

"It's okay, Alice. I should have told you sooner. I'm sorry you found out the way you did."

"No more secrets, okay?"

"Okay."

"I love you, you know. You're my sister."

"I love you, too." Was I actually feeling jealous that Bella was saying those words to her friend? Yes, I sort of was.

"I think I'm going to call Jasper. It's time for me to talk to him. And it's time for you to talk to Edward. You found him when nobody else did and I guarantee you we weren't the only two to try. I think you belong together." We just might.

Bella laughed. "Did you talk to my father or something? He told me that avoiding him wasn't the answer."

"No, but Charlie's a smart guy."

"Yeah. Oh my God, I haven't told you! Apparently Sue Clearwater is living with him."

Alice let out some unholy shriek that hurt my ears even from another room. "What? Charlie's got a girlfriend? This I have to see!"

"Yeah, he called to see if I was coming home for Spring Break." Bella's voice lost some of her excitement. No. Don't go home. Come with me.

"Are you?"

I heard a sigh. "I don't know. I was supposed to go to a cabin in Mt. Rainier with Edward but that's obviously not happening so…maybe? I told Dad I'd let him know."

"Well, it sounds to me like you should talk to Edward and then make a plan. Spring Break is less than a week away."

"I know. We'll see. I'm going to go change and veg out for awhile I think."

"Sounds fair." I braced myself. Any second now she'd be here and I had no idea what to do. I know what I wanted to do. I wanted to hug her and touch her and confirm for myself that she's real. She was so close but so far away.

"Oh and Bella?"

"Yeah?" Her voice was closer, like she was standing right near her door.

"Edward's nothing like Tyler. I'm sorry I said that. You need to talk to him." Her words pleased me. I was nothing like that asshole and I would treat her right if I got the chance.

"Thanks, Alice. I'll think about it."

I sat and saw her silhouette in the doorway. She flipped her light on and there she was, wearing a black dress that accented her beautiful curves and showed off those sexy legs. She was stunning. Her eyes widened and she stopped dead when she saw me.

"Edward?" This was it.

* * *


	20. Chapter 20

She swayed a little on her feet and I stood, hesitantly. I hoped to God she wasn't about to pass out. It would not be the first time in my life it happened, but I really didn't want to repeat the experience. I didn't want to equate her with that part of my life. She was a fan, yes, but she was so much more. Hopefully.

"It's happened." Crap, don't fangirl on me, please, Bella. Your talk with Alice showed me you might be different. Please be different.

She closed her eyes and rubbed them. "I'm having a psychotic break. I've lost my mind. It was only a matter of time."

I laughed. I couldn't help it. She still made me laugh at inappropriate times. Her eyes flew open and she stared at me. "Is this real?" she demanded.

I couldn't laugh at her this time. I stepped toward her. What did I do? Did I hug her? Kiss her? Shake her hand? I didn't know. Everything had changed two days ago and I wanted to do the things I'd dreamed about but we had so much we had to talk about now. I settled for reaching out my hand and brushing a strand of hair away from her face, my fingers just ghosting over her left cheek. That, just that little touch, shot through me like a bolt of lightning and now I felt like the unsteady one.

"Hi, Bella."

She drew in a shaky breath and put her hand on her cheek where mine had just been.

"You're really here." I nodded and she reached a hand out toward me hesitantly. I stood still as her hand approached my chest. She tapped at me lightly, like she was really afraid that I was a ghost or something. "This can't be real. I'm dreaming, right? I'm going to wake up in the morning and everything's going to suck again."

My hand covered hers almost of its own accord. I hadn't had the conscious thought to touch her, I just was. And it felt good. I wanted to keep right on doing it. "I really hope that's not the case."

She blinked those beautiful brown eyes of hers several times. Her hand was still on my chest and mine was still covering it. "What, why…what are you doing here?" she asked softly. I saw the tears starting to form and I couldn't stand it so I pulled her against me. Her scent, that damn apricot and vanilla mixed with some other sweet scent that was all her and I breathed into her hair. Her arms went around my waist and she burrowed into my chest, murmuring 'you're real' over and over again.

I moved my hands up and down her back, holding her and breathing her in. I kissed the top of her head, her soft curls tickling my face. This wasn't the meeting I envisioned, or the first kiss I had planned, but nothing about me and Bella had been by the book anyway, so why should our first meeting? It felt good to have her in my arms, that much I knew.

"Bella, baby, please don't cry. I don't think I could bear it." She pulled back, still holding on to my waist and looking up at me. I wiped away a few stray tears and God she was soft. Her skin was amazing and I wanted to do nothing other than touch and kiss every inch of her. Every part of me was raging to do it and I had a feeling she'd let me but I knew I couldn't right now. There was too much to sort out. If I made love to her, fuck, please let it be when I made love to her, I didn't want anything hanging over us.

"Can we talk?" I asked her.

She released me and rubbed at her face. "I guess we should, huh?" She sank down on her bed and I looked around. Maybe I should sit on her desk chair or something. I didn't want to be away from her but I wasn't sure I could stop touching her if I joined her. She motioned toward the bed and I immediately sat next to her and took her right hand in mine. I couldn't help myself, clearly. I'd known I'd be bad around her but I didn't know I'd be compelled to touch her every moment. Maybe, like her, I needed to know she was real.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

The million dollar question. "My brother drove me up here." Her eyes widened and she looked around. I laughed. "He's getting a hotel room and food and stuff. I have to call him shortly."

"Right. Um, why did you come up? I mean, not that I'm upset that you did or anything, because I'm not. I'm really…" She closed her eyes again and then opened them, looking resolved. "I'm sorry." She tugged her hand from mine and stood up. "You're probably here to make sure that I meant what I said about going to the press." What? No. I shook my head yet she barreled on, much like she had on Thursday.

"I did mean it. I wasn't out to hurt you, Edward. I'm so, so sorry that I did. I would never tell anybody the things we talked about." She was pacing around her room and she stopped to kick off her heels. There were those adorable toes that I'd seen in the picture she sent. I wanted to kiss them.

"Okay, I mean, I told Rose some things, but not anything too bad and she won't go to the press." She made a face. "Well, yeah, she might because she's pretty pissed at you calling me a stalker, but I won't let her. She usually listens to me. Except, she didn't, did she?" She whirled around and glared at me. "Did she call you? Did she make you come?"

She was truly fascinating to me. Getting to see that mind of hers work was a treat. I hoped I got to see a lot more of her strange thought processes.

I held up my hands in a sign of surrender. "Bella, would you please sit back down? You're making me dizzy." She sighed and did so. I held out my hand and she slipped hers back into it. I felt better touching her. It was weird but true.

"I'm not here because I'm worried about you going to the press." She opened her mouth and I used my free hand to put a finger over her mouth. "My turn, okay? You asked me some questions and I'd like to answer." I was touching her lips, finally, and it had to be silence her? It was so unfair. She nodded though.

"First things first, I'm here because we need to talk, face to face. No more lies, no more secrets, no more misunderstandings. Does that work for you?" I moved my finger away from her lips, albeit very reluctantly.

"Yes."

"Good." I smiled at her and she smiled back at me. "Yes, Rose called," she started to open her mouth and I hurried on, "but she didn't reach me. She got my brother. Apparently the two of them talked about the two of us and determined that we needed to talk to each other. My brother took it upon himself to get me in the car under the guise of going for a test drive and then told me we were coming here."

"So, you didn't want to come," she observed softly.

I squeezed her hand. "Not at first." I thought about it for a second. "Well, I wasn't admitting it at first. I could have fought him on it more, or I could have called the cops, but I didn't because a big part of me wanted to come see you."

"Why?" she asked. "I thought you hated me."

Like that was truly possible? "I wanted to," I admitted, not proud of that fact. I had to tell her the truth, though. No more secrets, no more lies. "I tried to. I threw some stuff when we got off the phone, I went and beat the crap out of Alec, I drank…none of those things got you out of my head. What I really wanted was to turn back the clock a day or two and go back to blissful ignorance."

She laughed and it was beautiful to see and hear in person. "Yeah, I've thought about that more than once myself."

"There are so many things I want to know. Alice asked you a lot of them."

"So you heard all that?" she asked.

"Yeah. She was a bit hostile at first but then she decided she wanted to help me out, to make things better for the two of you."

She scrunched up her face. It was really cute and I wanted to kiss her. I had to curb that urge for now. "She told you about that?" Bella sounded surprised.

I chuckled. "Well, yeah. I can't say that I followed it all but I know she found a seventeen-year-old me and you didn't tell her you had the real me and it all blew up." I watched her intently. "She said she said some very hurtful things to you and she wanted to try to make it up to you by asking you those questions for me."

Bella took in a big breath and released it. "Wow. This is just…I can't wrap my head around it. I go out on a date with the wrong guy and come home to find the right one sitting in my bedroom and the roommate who seemed to hate me has possibly forgiven me and is helping me out."

"Yeah, it's a pretty strange day all in all." I looked down at the floor and asked my next question. "Are you sure he was the wrong guy? I mean, I heard what you told Alice but…you don't like him?"

It felt like it took her hours to answer when it was probably only seconds. "Yes, I'm sure. He's nice but he's not…" she broke off. "You," she said softly. Thank God. I'd needed to see her say it, beyond what she'd told Alice.

Suddenly she tugged her hand away again and I wanted to yank it back. She was too quick for me though, clasping it with her other hand. "That doesn't matter though, right? I forgot. You have Jane. I…why…why are you here?" She looked so confused. I couldn't blame her. I had lied to her as well.

"Bella, I don't have Jane. I never did. She's one of my best friends in the world. Her boyfriend dumped her and she needed someone to walk the red carpet with her so she didn't look pathetic and alone." I sighed. "She knows all about you. We talked about you in the limo, but she was drinking and then the questions upset her so she said something stupid."

Bella looked hopeful but not like she was ready to believe me yet. "What about the way you touched her?" Damn that picture. Emmett had told me to pull it up and it did look damning, I had to admit.

"She had just seen him with the newer, younger girl. I was just trying to support her, to tell her that she was worth a billion of those girls and he'd be sorry he ever let her go. Jane's great, Bella, but she's not great for me. She's like my sister."

"She is?" A hesitant smile moved over her lips and I nodded. "But you said…"

I shrugged. "I think we both said things we didn't mean to. I was mad that you hid something so huge from me and I wanted to hurt you like you hurt me."

She turned and her right knee was touching my left. I was pissed that I was wearing jeans and couldn't feel her skin against mine. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Edward. That was never my intention."

I knew that now. "I know. But if you don't mind my asking, what did you want? I mean, you said you wanted to know me. Was that all?" I was very happy to note that there weren't any pictures of me up on her wall. It really would have creeped me out.

She put her hand on my leg and I immediately slid my hand over hers. It just felt too good to touch her. "Honestly, I never allowed myself to think beyond that initial urge to find you in the beginning. I just heard that you played _WWF;_ Alice announced she was going to try to find you and I decided to try too. I had a crush on you, obviously, but I never thought I'd find you. When you responded, you just seemed so nice and real and funny and I wanted more of you."

That was something I could relate to all too well. "How much more?"

She laughed nervously. "I can't say I planned on us having phone sex and being here now and just…I let myself dream a little, Edward. That's what people do about famous people, you know? We imagine that if we only had a chance to meet them, they'd like us like we like them."

I shifted uncomfortably at that and she squeezed my knee. I focused on her hand there and tried not to imagine it going to better places. Not productive and not right now.

"That bothers you. I get it. I want you to know that what you heard me say to Alice was true. Most of the time I forgot you were you. You were just my Edward and I loved talking to you. I had periods where I would remember who you were and I'd wonder what in the hell you could possibly see in me, but for the most part I just let myself be me and you seemed to like me."

"I did." Her face fell. Shit, not past tense. "I do like you Bella." More than like, I think, but we need time to deal with everything else before I try to figure that out. I touched her cheek again and those pretty eyes of her watched me warily.

"I'm going to try to explain to you why it bothered me so much that you knew who I was all along." It was hard to talk about this without sounding like some spoiled little rich boy but hopefully she'd understand. She'd always understood me before.

"Okay," she agreed. I squeezed her hand again.

"I've been famous since I was eighteen, Bella. Before that, I was the geeky kid that I told you about. I went from some nobody to a somebody almost overnight, it seemed. Girls were everywhere. I was smart enough to know that they weren't necessarily interested in the guy who liked cartoons and science fiction. I ignored that in the beginning." I grimaced at the memory. "I was young, I was rich and girls wanted me. I tried to enjoy that."

She laughed. "I imagine you did."

I smirked at her. "It got old though, fast. I couldn't invite a girl over to watch the newest action flick with me. They wanted to be out and be seen with me. They didn't care about the things that interested me, just what the hottest restaurant or club was, you know?" She nodded. "It didn't take me long to mostly stop dating. I had a couple of relationships that were okay but were still a lot for show. Irina…" I laughed at the expression on her face.

"You're cute."

"Sorry, I hate that she hurt you like that."

I shrugged. "Honestly, she didn't in retrospect. It seemed like it at the time, but my pride was more wounded than my heart. She was better at the game than most of them and she pretended to be interested in the things I was, or at least to listen to me talk about them, but it was all lies." I took a breath and gave her the biggest truth I had. "I can tell you that what happened with you and me on Thursday hurt me more than anything Irina ever did."

Bella gasped and her eyes started to well up again. "Please, baby, don't cry. I'm not saying that to hurt you." I held her face between my hands gently, hoping she would understand me. "I'm saying that so you know just how much you mean to me. Three weeks with you was worth so much more than six months with her. It tore me up to think that I'd been wrong about you."

"You weren't, I swear you weren't. I loved everything I got to know about you." Loved? Past tense, present? The word itself warmed me. "The fact that you were kind of a dork and admitted it, your love for cartoons and cult classic movies, your fear of your mom…" I winced and she laughed. "All of that and more."

"I know. That's why it hurt so much to lose it." She closed her eyes and I stroked her cheeks with my thumbs. "That's why I couldn't stop thinking about you and why I didn't fight my brother when he dragged me up here. I wanted, no, I want things to be the way were before. If they can be."

She looked up at me and bit her lip, which I had to admit was one of the sexiest things I'd ever seen. I prayed my ever present hard-on would not make an appearance but I knew it wouldn't take much when it came to Bella.

"Do you think they can?"

I laughed and touched her lip with my right thumb. "I haven't been able to take my hands off you since you walked into this room. I've had to fight the urge to kiss you about a dozen times already. I think they can."

She smiled, then, a real smile, like the ones in the pictures she'd sent me and it took my breath away. Even with a slightly red, splotchy face from crying she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. "You want to kiss me?"

I snorted. "Of course I do. I've thought about kissing you a billion times before we met and now here I am in the same room with you. You're gorgeous, you're wearing a sexy dress, you smell great and your skin is incredibly soft. If I wasn't sure that I wouldn't be able to stop, I would have done it by now."

She licked her lips and I felt my cock start to stiffen. It didn't take much of anything with her. "Why don't you?"

"Because I won't ever stop."

"So don't." Fuck, she was going to kill me.

"I have to finish first." She looked disappointed but she nodded. "My life isn't easy, Bella. There are going to be premieres and red carpets and rumors everywhere I go. I know that you had reason to react to the Jane thing the way you did. I should have told you I was going to be with a female friend, but I didn't think you knew who I was so I didn't. I've been told by several people that I'm a dumbass for not at least telling you something first. I honestly didn't think it was going to be an issue though."

She looked down at her lap. "I should have listened to you before I jumped all over you and assumed the worst." I tilted her chin up and she smiled sadly. "I would give anything to go back and not attack you the way I did. It's just really hard for me to believe you could want someone like me when you're surrounded by people like Jane and Irina."

Her asshole ex had done a number on her self-esteem and it pissed me off. "Bella, I think you're incredible. You're worth a thousand Irina's and I hate that you think that you're not."

She sighed and tried to smile. "It's hard for my mind not go there, Edward. Tyler fucked me up, a lot. I did try, in the beginning, to tell myself that it was nothing but the questions and Jane's answers and the way you held on to her…"

"She was drunk and upset, Bella. I was trying to keep her from doing something stupid, like taking off her shoe and stabbing Demetri with it. Believe me, it was one of the options she was considering."

Bella laughed. "I bet. I thought of some very clever things to do with Tyler over the months too. It hurt. I was trying to tell myself I wasn't seeing what I thought I was seeing and Rose was talking me down, then Alice heard us talking and it all blew up. I let myself believe the things she was saying, about how I couldn't keep a guy like Tyler interested, so how could I keep you and I just went crazy. I called Colin and made the date without stopping to think." I glared at the mention of his name and she took my hand in both of hers.

"I was going to cancel it, but then I woke up in the morning and saw all those websites and those pictures and got mad all over again. Then you texted me, being all cute and asking me for a date right after I thought you'd been on a date with her and I lost it again. I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have answered my phone until I could talk to you like a civil person, not some crazy, possessed one."

"You threw me for a loop," I admitted. "I didn't understand why you'd go out with someone else when we were trying to figure this thing out with us. Then you laid into me about Jane and all I could think about was trying to explain it to you so you'd forgive me. When you lowered the boom about looking for me, that's when my temper came out."

"I'm sorry, Edward. I'm sorry I told you like that. I had to tell you, I knew that, and I planned on doing it before we met. I didn't want you to come here with that hanging over our heads. I thought maybe you'd walk away when I did, but I hoped you wouldn't. Then again, I didn't plan on telling you after I called you a cheater and told you I had a date of my own."

I laughed. "It certainly didn't help matters, but I admit I never would have taken it well. I would have needed time to think about it and to question what was real and what wasn't. I'd like to think I wouldn't have lost my temper if you told me another way, but I might have. It meant so much that you liked the person I was, not the actor."

She looked sad. "I do. I know you might not believe that, but I really do. I didn't know I had you until we IMed and I was already hooked on you before that. Your words…" she broke off and smiled. "You could get to me with just a sentence or two. Nobody's ever done that before. You're so funny and smart and witty. You once said that you wanted to save all our messages on Words, well, I did. I took pictures of them."

She blushed and it was stunning on her creamy skin. And she hadn't lied. All of her blushed. Her chest was a pretty rose color that I wanted to kiss and touch and fuck me I needed to focus.

"You should send me those pictures."

She laughed. "Okay. If you want."

"I do. Very much." I wanted so much more than pictures. "Bella, I believe you." Her eyes went wide at my declaration. "I believe that you really just wanted to get to know me and that you weren't after me for nefarious reasons. I'm sorry I said that you were."

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. I didn't want to lose you. You meant so much more to me than I thought you would and I didn't want you to take off the instant you heard."

"Meant, past tense?"

She shook her head. "No, not past tense."

I touched her cheek again. "My life is complicated, Bella. If we're going to try to do this, I need you to trust me. I meant it when I said I wouldn't cheat on you. I haven't looked at or thought about another girl since you came into my life. We weren't even together, technically, and I still wouldn't have considered dating anyone else."

"Me either." She grimaced. "Really, I was going to break that date with Colin until you told me that you'd lied and implied that Jane was more than friend."

If I hadn't told her that lie about Jane she never would have gone out with the asshole. "I hated that you were out with him. I hated that I didn't get here in time to stop you from going."

She linked her fingers with mine. "I was miserable and kept thinking about you the whole time. He called me on it and I admitted that I wasn't ready to go out with anybody. I told him a little about you…" Now it was my turn to grimace. She squeezed my hand. "And he told me I should call you and clear the air. He's not a bad guy, Edward. He's just not you."

Her words warmed me, the way they always had even when they'd just been words on a screen. "No other girl gets me like you do, Bella. Do…" God, why was this so hard? "Do you want to try again? To see what we can be without all the secrets between us? I was going to tell you who I was that day, you know." I laughed. "What a pair we are."

She laughed with me. "Yeah, we are. At least, I want to be, that is, part of a pair, with you. Jeez, I am such a spaz."

I grinned. "I believe I've heard that somewhere before."

She giggled and it was beautiful. "Yeah, well, you're a dork, so we're even."

"I am not a whale penis," I told her, doing my best not to smile and failing miserably.

"Welllllll," she trilled and I tickled her side. She squirmed and giggled. "Okay, okay, you're not a whale's penis."

"Thank you," I replied. "You are a spaz but I love you that way."

Her eyes widened and I felt my heart start to pound. Shit. Had I meant that? I sort of did, but it was so soon and we'd just met. She shook her head and smiled. "Good." I breathed a sigh of relief as she let me off the hook. We'd talked about plenty tonight and we had time to talk about more. Hopefully all the time in the world.

"Edward?"

I looked at her nervously. Maybe she wasn't letting me off the hook. "Yeah?"

"I'm really glad you're here and that you forgive me for being such an insane bitch the other day." I opened my mouth to protest. "No, I was and I don't deserve a second chance but I'm going to take it if you're offering." I nodded and fought to swallow the lump in my throat. I was so relieved. It had all gone better than I had dared to imagine. "Can we maybe stop talking and could you kiss me now?"

I jerked in surprise. "What? You want me to kiss you?"

She licked her lips again. "Yes, I very much do."

Music to my ears. I stood up and pulled her to her feet. "What about the fact that I told you that if I kiss you, I might not be able to stop?"

A sexy smile stole over her face and something sparked in her eyes. There was my confident, sassy girl, the one that could make me hard with a few words. "What makes you think I'd want you to stop?"

I put my hands on her shoulders and stepped closer to her. "I didn't come here for this, you know? I came because I wanted to clear the air. We don't have to…"

"Edward, shut up and kiss me."

So I did. I slid my arms down her back and pulled her against me; her soft, gorgeous body pressed against mine at last. Yes, I'd held her when she first came in but there hadn't been heat then. Now, her eyes were smoldering at me and her perfect lips were right there, inches from my face. I slowly bent toward her and her arms wound around my neck, her fingers moving into my hair and lightly scratching against my scalp. I groaned before my lips even touched hers.

Her fingers tightened against my head and I took her unspoken guidance, touching my lips to hers lightly. I brushed her lips with mine once, twice, three times. Her eyes opened and the look there made me want to toss her on her bed and take her. Not yet, though. This was perfect. I pressed my lips to hers more firmly and she sighed. I caught her bottom lip between both of mine and she moaned and opened her mouth to mine. Our tongues touched softly, moving against one another. She angled her head and let me slide in deeper.

I'd kissed plenty of women in my life, both on and off screen but I could honestly say that no kiss had ever affected me the way this kiss with Bella did. I felt my knees start to shake with the effort it took not to take more than she was offering. Our tongues danced together lightly and her hands felt like heaven in my hair. I held on to her waist, though I really wanted to get two handfuls of that incredible ass of hers.

I broke our kiss and fought to catch my breath. Bella smiled dreamily up at me and I had to kiss her again. Harder this time. She gave as good as she got and rubbed her sexy body against mine. I groaned and released her. "You really are going to be the death of me, aren't you?"

She laughed. "I should hope not. I need way more than that before you die."

I shook my head and collapsed back on her bed. "I should call my brother, let him know that I'm still alive and have him come get me."

"You're leaving already?" There was that sadness again.

"No! I just didn't want to assume that you wanted me to…"

"Stay," she said, putting her hands on my shoulders. I gripped her waist tightly. "Please stay with me."

Like I was going to say no to that? "I won't go anywhere."

"So, you're all mine for the night?" she asked with a sexy smile.

For more than that, if she wanted me. "Yes, I'm all yours."

"I like the sound of that," she replied.

So did I. "Whatever will you do with me?"

She giggled. "I can think of a few things."

So could I. I couldn't wait to see what she had in mind.

* * *


	21. Chapter 21

She tilted her head, her eyes sparkling. I needed to know what was going on in that fascinating brain of hers. "What?"

"Do you remember what you asked me to do?"

I'd asked her to do a lot of things, most of them that would require a lot less clothing than we had on at the moment. "Uh, maybe you could clarify which thing?"

Bella giggled again. "Okay, do you remember what you asked on Thursday morning before I decided to unleash my inner she-beast on you?"

Thursday morning? Oh! "You mean the movie date?"

She nodded, smiling brightly. "For Saturday night. And it's Saturday night."

I answered her smile with one of my own. "Yes, it is. So you want to watch a movie with me?" It wasn't quite what I had in mind but I wasn't disappointed with that either. We needed to spend time together, just being. I wanted her, hell, I burned for her but I could wait. We'd just had a pretty heavy discussion after all, and a hell of a kiss, kisses really. And maybe there would be more during the movie.

"Yeah." She bit her lip again and I waited. "It's not that I don't want you, it's just…"

I put my arms around her. "I know, Bella. Believe me, I know. We have time, hopefully lots of it. I'd love to watch a movie with you, provided I get to hold you and maybe steal a few kisses."

Her face lit up like I'd just told her she won the lottery. "Isn't that was a movie date is about? Sitting close, making your move, and trying to cop a feel?"

I laughed. "That's what I've been told. I didn't really get to experience it like that. Geek to famous, remember?"

"Well, you're at college now, time to act like a college boy." She hugged me and then let go. "I'm going to go change into something more comfortable." She frowned down at her dress. "This isn't really my usual style."

Whatever it was, she looked great. "I think you look stunning, but I want you to be comfortable." She walked to her dresser and pulled out a gray t-shirt that just might be the shirt she wore in the picture. Sadly, she also pulled out some pajama bottoms, so I wasn't going to get her to reenact that photo, yet. All in good time, though.

"Pajamas," she muttered, her face coloring again.

"Sexy," I told her and she blushed harder.

"Yeah, well, um, do you have any clothes to change into?"

I did, but not with me. "They're with Emmett. I'll be okay."

She frowned and then grinned. "I've got it! Rose still has some of Royce's stuff. I think it would fit you."

I didn't know who Royce was but whatever. "I'm wearing a t-shirt under this, so maybe just some pants or shorts?" Bella nodded and hurried from the room. I took out my phone and texted Emmett.

**Staying here tonight. I'll call you in the morning.**

Bella came back in and tossed me a pair of black workout shorts. "Will that work?"

"Sure."

"Okay, I'm just gonna go…" she gestured to the bathroom and I smiled.

"I'll be fine." She laughed and hurried into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. I tried not to think about her peeling off that sexy dress. I failed miserably, but at least I tried. I took off my jeans and slid on the shorts, which fit fine. I unbuttoned my shirt and placed that and my jeans on her computer chair. My phone beeped with an incoming text.

_Ha! I told you everything would work out. You owe me huge. You can start by taking my place at that charity of Mom's._

I chuckled quietly. **We both know Mom isn't going to accept a substitute. I do owe you, though. I'll figure out a way to make it up to you.**

I looked around the room, trying to figure out what to do with myself. Were we watching a movie in the living room? In here? Should I lie on the bed? This was all so confusing. I was usually surer of myself. I sat on the edge of the bed and the phone buzzed again.

_You can make it up to me by telling me Thorny Girl is home. Did you see her? She's so hot!_

Oh Lord. I rolled my eyes. I hadn't really noticed much about Rose other than that she was blonde, but he'd clearly seen enough. **I don't think she's home, but I've been in Bella's room. I didn't hear anybody come in.**

And I wasn't too sorry about that, honestly. From what Bella said about Rose, I might need Emmett for protection. Hopefully I wouldn't see her until the morning.

_You dog, you. Already in the bedroom? You're better than even I thought! I could not be prouder of you right now._

Of course my brother went there. **We've just been talking, Emmett. She's changing and we're going to watch a movie.**

The door opened and out Bella came and fuck, she was wearing that UW t-shirt. Her purple pajama bottoms were cute on her. It was amazing that I found her just as attractive now as when she'd been all dressed up. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail leaving her lovely neck exposed. I wanted to kiss it, badly.

My phone beeped again. _I rescind my pride. You're no brother of mine._

Bella raised an eyebrow. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"Because you're gorgeous and my brother's an idiot."

She laughed and sat next to me. "In this?"

I ran my fingers down her left arm and she shivered. "I think you're forgetting I've seen you in this shirt and nothing else. It might be my favorite article of clothing you own."

She grinned and those eyes of hers went smoky. "Oh, I think I can find something you'll like better." Her voice was full of sexy promise and I felt my cock start to stir.

"Um, Bella, I'm trying very hard to be a gentleman here."

She giggled. "I'm sorry." The way her eyes were sparkling I kind of doubted it, but I really didn't mind. I was just thrilled that I was getting to see my girl, finally. She was just like I'd imagined her to be in person, now that we were through the talking stuff. "What did your brother have to say?"

I smirked. "He made some assumptions about me staying here and being in your room the whole time. He wants to know where Rose is."

"Rose?" she asked. "She went out with Ang and Jess but I don't know where they were going."

"That's probably a good thing. I think he'd go looking for her if he knew where she was."

Bella giggled. "Really? She'll like that."

"Is that so?"

Bella eyed me. "You can't tell him." I nodded. "Rose has had a crush on him for a long time. She loves bad boys." I snorted. It was hard to think of Emmett as a bad boy, even though he did get into trouble from time to time. "When I figured out that I had you for sure, well, she told me to tell you to hook her up with Emmett."

I played with her ponytail. "I don't think I have to do that. He saw her picture and got hypnotized or something. Plus he liked the way she yelled at him. Well, she thought she was yelling at me."

Bella smiled. "I told you she was scary."

I tugged on her hair. "I'm counting on you to protect me."

She tilted her head and smiled slyly. "I might."

"You might?"

"Yeah, well, we'll see how you do on our date."

I smirked. "What do I have to do win protection?"

She giggled and stood up. "If I tell you, that negates everything. You'll have to figure it out yourself. Now, what movie did you want to watch?"

I shrugged. "Nothing of mine." She laughed. "I was going to suggest _Dazed and Confused_ but…"

Bella lit right up. "I've got it!" She darted into the living room and was back a minute later with the DVD in her hand.

I grinned at her. "That's what I love about these college girls. I get older, they stay the same age," I gave her my best Wooderson impression and she laughed hard.

"Slight amendment to the original, huh?"

"Well, you are a college girl," I told her.

She shook her head. "And Wooderson was probably older than you are now hitting on those high school girls. So wrong."

I laughed as she put the DVD into her player and flipped on the TV. "Yeah, but he had the best lines."

She turned from the TV and smirked. "Say man, you got a joint?"

She was beyond fantastic. "No, not on me man."

"It'd be a lot cooler if you did." Her Wooderson impression wasn't dead on, of course, but it was so awesome coming from her that I laughed my ass off.

"You might just be my perfect woman."

She grinned and came over to the bed, placing her pillows up against the headboard. "I am." I smirked as she patted the bed. "Let's sit up here. I'm gonna get the lights."

I situated myself against the pillow and Bella closed her door and flipped off the light. She came back over and sat on my left. I immediately looped my arm around her and she laughed. "That's one point for you."

Oh, points for making moves on her. That worked for me. "Should I have done the yawn and stretch?"

She giggled. "No, that would have been minus points. I'd let Rose get in a punch for sure."

I poked her side as the opening strains of "Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith started and the movie began. "You won't let her punch me."

She raised an eyebrow. "Well, if she does, I promise to kiss it better."

"Anywhere she punches? Because my brother said she threatened…" I cut off when she elbowed me and laughed.

"Anywhere, though maybe not right away."

I laughed. "I doubt I'd want you to kiss certain places right away after I got hit."

She snickered. "I imagine not." She turned to look at me. "She won't hurt you. You're here and I'm happy. That's all she really wants."

"Good. That's all I want, too." She snuggled into me and I tightened my arm around her.

"Did you ever make a bong in shop class?" she asked as Slater judged his lack of air flow in his wooden bong.

I snickered. "No. I never took shop class. And I never did drugs, either."

She smiled. "Me either. Alice got high a couple years ago and was beyond annoying. No thank you."

"Emmett dabbled but Mom lowered the hammer on him. She'll tolerate the bar fights and speeding tickets but no drugs for her boys."

Bella grinned. "She really does scare you."

"Hell yes. She was also in favor of me coming to talk to you, by the way."

"I think I like her," she replied.

"I know she'll like you."

Bella blushed but didn't respond. She was so fucking cute. On screen, Ben Affleck drove up, ready to paddle some freshman ass. "Is it weird for you?" she asked.

"What?"

"You know some of these guys, don't you? Is it ever weird to watch them act?"

I shrugged. "Sure, I know Ben and Matt, Parker, Adam and a few others. But no, it's a movie and I watch it as such. Plus, this came out before I was in Hollywood, so I loved it before I even got there. It's weird to watch myself though. I don't do it often."

"School's Out for Summer" came on and it reminded me that I'd been curious about what she was doing over the summer.

"Do you know what you're doing this summer? Do you have classes or what?" Do you have a passport and would you like to visit me in Europe? I couldn't help myself, she felt so good pressed against me.

"Well, I was probably going to go home, work at my dad's station for the summer."

"Mmmm." I didn't say anything. It was too soon. We'd see how the rest of our time together went. She looked at me but I didn't offer an explanation for my question.

"Hey, Edward? How long are you here for?"

I ran my fingers along the side of her neck. "We have to head back on Monday morning. I have a meeting with my agent Tuesday."

She smiled. "So we have all day tomorrow?"

"All day and all night, if you like."

"I like. Very much."

I grinned. "Me too." I thought about her Spring Break. "You know, Emmett didn't cancel the cabin."

She stared at me. "He didn't?"

"No. He had faith that we'd work things out."

"Hmmm, well we did."

We did. It wasn't awkward or anything. "So do you still want to go?"

Bella sat up and turned to face me. "Yeah. I mean, if you want to. I know traveling up here like this was unexpected so if you have stuff you need to…"

I silenced her with another kiss. She straddled me and I felt her heat and went hard as a rock immediately. She moaned and rubbed herself against me. My hands found her waist and I helped her move against me, not that she needed it. Fuck, I was going to come in this guy's shorts if she kept at it. I pulled away and she pouted prettily.

"I thought I was supposed to be a gentleman?"

She sighed and started to crawl away. I stilled her and spread my legs. "Come here." She smiled and crawled between them, leaning back against my chest. I kissed her ear and she shuddered. "We have all night, all tomorrow and tomorrow night and all Spring Break. I want to go, Bella."

"You do?"

I laughed. "Hell yes." On the screen, Mitch was getting the shit paddled out of him. I watched Bella's face and saw her flush. "What are you thinking?"

"Uh, nothing?" she squeaked and I hugged her to me.

"Does it turn you on a little bit?" I bit her ear and she snickered.

"Maybe a little. But not like that. That would hurt."

I slid my hands down her sides and along her perfect little ass. "I promise I would never hurt you. I told Ben he had entirely too much fun in that scene and it was clear his character had rage issues brought on by his obvious homosexuality."

Bella giggled helplessly and it was so damn cute, though her movement against my groin wasn't a laughing matter. "What did he say to that?"

I snorted. "He admitted it was probably true." I pushed her ponytail out of the way and kissed the right side of her neck. Bella moaned softly. "How am I doing on the date scale?"

"Pretty good." Bella smiled. "Wooderson!" And there was the "it'd be a lot cooler if you did" line.

"Alright, alright, alright." She giggled and I quoted him word for word each time he opened his mouth.

"You've seen this movie entirely too much," she told me.

"Yeah, but that's a good thing," I replied.

She tilted her head and looked at me. "Why is that?"

I traced a finger over her jaw. "Because then I don't miss anything when I do this." I kissed her. It was awkward, with the angle, so I tugged her around so she was lying sideways across my lap. Her arms went around my neck and I opened my mouth. She opened to me right away and our tongues met with more urgency this time.

I moved my hands against her sides, lightly dragging my fingertips over her, tracing the sides of her breasts gently. She moaned and straddled me again. I wasn't stopping this time. Fuck that. I moved my thumbs over her nipples and they immediately pebbled under my touch. She was absolutely not wearing a bra.

"Fuck, Bella," I murmured. Her hands were in my hair and she was tugging hard as I kissed my way down her neck. I rolled her nipples between my fingers and the noises she was making were driving me wild.

"Mmm, I believe you promised to do that." Her voice was husky and sexy as hell. I thrust against her and she gasped.

"Edward!"

I nipped her neck and moved my hands down to the hem of her t-shirt. I wasn't sure if she was ready for me to take it off, so I lifted it a little, enough to trace the soft skin on her stomach. Her hands were on my shirt and she didn't hesitate. I felt her tugging so I moved back so she could get it off me. Her eyes went right to my chest and she licked her lips when she saw me.

"Good God, you're sexier in person."

I had to laugh at that. "I'm glad you think so." Her hands were on my torso now, running over my pecs and down my abs. I was happy Alec had kicked my ass into shape for a couple of days. Bella seemed quite appreciative.

"By the way, so are you." She smiled and reached down to tug at her own shirt. Thank God. Being a gentleman wasn't nearly as much fun. I got a glimpse of beautiful tits and I licked my lips, dying to taste them.

There was a loud bang outside and Bella jerked and dropped her shirt just as her door opened. "So, did you fall asleep during the appetizers or did you make it all the way to the main course?" The loud blonde in the doorway stopped dead and did a double take. "Holy fucking shit, you brought him home?" Then she looked closely. "What the fuck? Bella? Is that Edward?"

"Um, yes," she replied. She got off my lap and turned to face her friend. "Rose, this is Edward. Edward, this is Rose."

I had no idea what to do so I raised my hand in a wave and tried not to think about the fact that I'd just had said hand on Bella's perfect tit.

Rose's eyes narrowed and she took a step into the room. "What are you doing here?"

I ran the hand I'd just waved with through my very disheveled hair. "Um, my brother and I drove up so I could talk to Bella."

"Yeah, you look like you're talking."

"Rose, we talked. I apologized, he apologized, it's all good."

Rose cut her eyes toward Bella. "What happened to your date?" I flinched a little at the words. Even though nothing happened, I hated that she went out with him.

Bella put a hand on my knee. "I went, it was awkward, and he saw right through me and brought me home." She turned to me and smiled. "Alice was here when I got home and she asked me a ton of questions about Edward. It turned out he was sitting in my bedroom listening to it all. I came in and we talked and well, we're obviously doing fine."

"Obviously," she replied dryly. "Alice made nice?"

Bella shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. She was a little hostile but we both apologized."

"That's good. God this is weird. I came home early expecting to find you bored or crying, not making out with a shirtless Edward Cullen." Ugh, that reminded me and I reached for my shirt and pulled it back on.

Rose laughed. "Don't cover up on my account!"

Bella squeezed my knee. "It wasn't how I thought my night was going to go either but I'm really glad it did."

Rose smiled at her before turning a glare on me. I was grateful that Bella was between us. She did look scary. "Did you apologize for making her cry and calling her a stalker?"

God, I hated knowing that happened. "Yes."

"Rose, quit it. I was sort of a stalker. Not the scary kind that you need to get a restraining order against…" Bella broke off and looked at me. "Did you get a restraining order?"

I laughed and pulled her back against me. "No. I didn't have much opportunity to do anything before Emmett had me on the road."

"That prick," Rose hissed. "Where is he? Why couldn't he inform me that you were coming? I could have stopped Bella from going out with Colin instead of monitoring the phone and mail like a fucking weirdo for two days."

Like I knew? "Emmett does what Emmett wants to do. I didn't have any input either. One minute we're test driving his new Venom and the next…"

Rose yelped. "Did you say Venom, as in, Hennessy Venom?" I nodded and she looked a little faint. She held onto the door for support. "Your brother is here driving that?"

"Um, yeah."

"Fuck me. How am I supposed to hold out against a hot man and a hot car?" I didn't think she was asking me for an answer so I wisely kept my mouth shut. "Where is he now?"

"Uh, he's probably at a hotel. I told him I was staying here…"

"Oh you did, did you?" She was back to shooting me dirty looks instead of swooning over my brother and his car. That wasn't good.

"Yes. He's staying with me." Bella patted my leg. "We're good, Rose. Really."

The glare softened and she smiled. "That's all I want for you, Bella."

"I know."

"How long are you here for?" she asked me, her tone infinitely less hostile.

"Until Monday morning."

"And when will your brother be back?" she asked.

I shrugged. "He'll be over sometime in the morning. He has my clothes and stuff. Plus he wants to meet Bella. And you."

Rose smirked. "I just bet he does. Okay, I'll be ready." She turned to leave. "As you were." I laughed. Not bloody likely. My dick had gone into hiding at first glare. I remembered vividly what vital body part she had threatened.

"Bella, you do realize you went out with one guy and ended up in bed with another guy entirely."

Bella's face turned red again. "Yes."

"I'm damn proud of you," she told her as a parting shot. She closed the door and I collapsed against the pillow in relief.

"Sorry." Bella turned to face me and I shook my head.

"Don't be. I don't have a scratch on me, at least."

"She's protective," was Bella's explanation.

"I know. Emmett will love it, believe me. I wonder what she has in store for him."

"God only knows." Bella bit her lip. "Sorry we got interrupted."

I cupped her chin. "It's okay. We said we were going to have a movie date and we kinda went well beyond that anyway, didn't we? I copped more than one feel."

She giggled. "Yes you did."

And it had been sheer perfection. "You liked it."

She nodded. "Very much."

"Maybe I'll cop some more then."

Bella grinned. "Maybe you will." The movie was nearly over and I pulled her back against my chest.

"There's no rush, though, honestly. I want you, yes, but I can wait." What was a little more time when I had her in my arms?

"It's just weird, you know? We've been together for all of a couple of hours, but we know each other so well and I want you so bad and…"

"I get it," I told her. "Let's just take it easy tonight and see what happens tomorrow. I wasn't lying when I said that I would be quite content just to hold you and kiss you a little bit. This is so much more than I hoped for when I got here."

She smiled softly. "You're definitely an improvement on my night."

I laughed. "That's a good thing." She kissed me, a sweet, chaste kiss. I fought down the urge to deepen it. We had time.

Bella pulled back and grinned. "A very good thing."

On screen, Clint was picking a fight with Tony and Bella laughed. "This is actually the best line."

We quoted it together. "I only came here to do two things, man. Kick some ass and drink some beer. Looks like we're almost out of beer." Bella giggled helplessly when we completed it.

"Clint reminds me of Rose," I stage whispered to her. She laughed harder.

"She could totally rock that role," she agreed with me. I moved her ponytail to her left side and kissed her cheek.

"I knew watching this movie with you would be fun."

She laughed again. "And this is way better than over the phone."

"Hell yes," I agreed, tightening my arms around her. She linked her fingers with mine. It felt damn good to have her in my arms.

"Thank you for coming for me, Edward." She spoke softly and I leaned closer to hear her. "You could have just walked away without another thought of me. I sort of deserved that after I deceived you and then yelled at you for nothing."

I shook my head and kissed her temple. "No. I couldn't have walked away. I could have tried but I would have failed, even without my brother pushing me. I, you…you got me, Bella. You just got me and curiosity, the need to know if what we had was real, would have gotten me here eventually. I'm just lucky my brother is more impatient than I am."

"Remind me to give Emmett a big hug when I meet him tomorrow."

I chuckled. "Don't worry, he'll take one whether you offer it or not." He's already got me married off to you after all. Can't say I mind that in the least right now.

"I wonder what Rose is going to do to him," she mused.

I laughed. "I'd rather not worry about those two, if it's alright with you."

"Okay," she agreed, relaxing against me.

"So, Bella, was this an okay first date?"

She turned and smiled up at me. "A phenomenal one, once I got home."

I scowled. "You know, I should totally not put out since you went out with some other guy first."

Bella chuckled. "Alright, if that's how you feel." She turned back to watch the movie and I tugged my fingers out of hers and tickled her sides again. "Uncle!" she shouted. I stopped tickling her and she giggled. "I'm sorry." She turned and looked at me. "I do wish I could take it back. I was trying to be more like Rose and less like me. It didn't really work for me."

"Just be you, Bella. That's the girl I want."

She smiled. "That I can do."

"Good." I touched her lips. "My girl." She smiled so brightly it was nearly blinding.

"Yours."

"Damn right." I kissed her again. I had my girl in my arms where she belonged. Everything felt right again, for the first time since Thursday. Maybe she'd searched me out, but I was damn glad she found me.

* * *


	22. Chapter 22

It was easily the best night of my life and we didn't even do anything beyond making out and that one little flash of Bella's breasts I'd been treated to before Rose came and interrupted us. I couldn't be sorry, though. I wanted Bella, there was no doubt about that, but I wanted to know her as well. After the movie ended, we lay in bed talking, touching and kissing for hours.

I knew what she looked like when she laughed. I knew that she'd gone through a phase of eating nothing but hot dogs when she was five years old. I knew what she smelled, tasted and felt like. If I thought I'd fallen for her before, well, that was nothing compared to how I felt about her now. I never did stop touching her. When we'd fallen asleep, she'd had her head on my chest and when I woke up, we were spooning in her too small bed. Not that I was about to curse that right now. I loved having her near.

She started to stir in my arms and I pressed my lips to the back of her neck. I was addicted to kissing her there. Her skin was so soft. She made a sexy moaning sound and pressed her ass back against me, which in turn caused me to groan. Of course I had morning wood; I had a sexy woman in my arms. A little giggle alerted me to the fact that she was aware of what she'd done.

"You're mean," I told her, nipping her earlobe.

Her shoulders shook with laughter. "You're the one taunting me with Eddie Junior back there."

I chuckled and nuzzled her neck. "Oh, I'd gladly stop taunting you and let you have at him if you so desired."

She gasped softly. "This is hard, isn't it?"

"I'll say so," I muttered which made her laugh again.

"Not that, you perv." She turned to face me and I ran my thumb along her jaw.

I grinned innocently. "Whatever did you mean then?"

She rolled her pretty eyes. "I mean, knowing what to do. I feel like we're in this state of in-between."

I ran my thumb up her cheek and she closed her eyes. "Bella, let's just do what feels right." My stomach growled. Nice timing.

Her eyes opened and she grinned. "I guess that right now I should feed you then."

I cursed my digestive system. "Well, I haven't eaten since lunchtime yesterday but…"

Bella's eyes widened and she sat up. "Shit. Why didn't we eat last night?"

I smirked. "One of us did, on her other date." It was amazing that I could sort of joke about it now, even though I still felt jealous as hell. It was me she was with in bed this morning, not Colin the understanding asshole. What? He was still an asshole because he got to go out with her before I did. I could hate him for that. It was totally allowable.

Bella touched her index finger to my nose. "For your information, I only had a couple of bites of appetizers. And, for the record, you're cute as hell when you're jealous."

I pulled her down on top of me. "You like that, do you?"

She bit her lip but her eyes twinkled at me. "Kinda, sorta, maybe."

She was so fucking sexy. "Well, then, yes, I'm jealous that he got to take you out before I got here. Did he touch you?"

She shook her head but then her eyes changed. "What?" I knew he hadn't kissed her, but what?

"He touched the small of my back when we were going into the building." I glared and she gave me a smacking kiss before pulling away. "Morning breath, ew."

I rolled us over and pinned her to the bed. "I'll breathe all over you if you don't tell me everything."

She giggled and wiggled against me but she couldn't budge. "I told you! He touched my back and I jumped about a mile to get away from him. I'm surprised he even continued the date at that point." I reached beneath her and touched the small of her back. I don't know why, I just had to claim it as mine or something, take his figurative handprint off her.

"Of course he continued the date. Did you see how beautiful you were last night? I'd have given anything to be the one sitting across from you at some restaurant." I should take her out, but then people would see me and the publicity would start before we'd even had a day together.

Bella's eyes watered and she reached up to touch my face. "I wish you had been." She cupped my face in both hands. "But spending last night with you, here, was way better than dinner at a fancy restaurant. I wouldn't give that up for anything."

Morning breath be damned, I kissed her, hard. And she wrapped her arms around my back and held me to her as she kissed me. My stomach growled again and she laughed, pulling back a little. "You need to eat."

"Yeah." But I kissed her again, softly this time. "I want to be the guy taking you out to fancy dinners, Bella."

She smiled up at me. "I want you to be that guy, too."

I rolled off her and sat up, then helped her do the same. "I'd take you out tonight but the press might get wind of things and…"

She held up a hand. "It's fine. I want to be with you, Edward. We can hole up here all day and I'll be perfectly content. I'd rather stay in our little bubble before reality comes crashing in."

Our bubble was the best place to be. "I'm going to talk to Kate when I get back, figure out how we should handle things. I don't want the press beating down your door, Bella. I'll do everything I can to protect you from that but at the same time…" I broke off, not sure how to say it.

"What?" Her big brown eyes looked sad now which wasn't at all acceptable.

"But at the same time I want the whole world to know about you." Her smile lit up her face. God, I loved that smile. I wanted to make her smile like that every single day.

"You do?"

I nodded. "Of course. You're my girl, right?"

Her smile got wider somehow. "You want me to be?"

I laughed. "Isn't that obvious?"

She shrugged. "I didn't want to presume. I mean, it's so soon and you're you and…"

"I'm me," I interrupted. "A dork who loves _He-Man, Star Wars_ and _Words with Friends_ who happens to be famous. The fame doesn't define me, Bella."

She shook her head and took my hand. "I know that, Edward. I just don't know what your agent and your people and the press will do or say."

I raised our joined hands to my lips and kissed her. "Let me worry about that. But not today."

Bella smiled. "No, today let's worry about food."

That was a good plan. I stood and helped her slide out of bed. "Bathroom break first."

She giggled. "Me first." And she was off. I laughed and picked up my phone off the desk. I had a couple of missed calls from Kate and Jane, and a text from my brother.

_Are you done playing bingo or whatever old people do on a Saturday night? I'm hungry and I'm bored._

Of course he was. **We're up and hungry as well. And I know, for the first time in a long time, that I had a way better night than you did.**

It wouldn't have mattered if he went to a sorority house and banged every girl there, my night with Bella was still better.

_Rub it in, dickhead, and I won't stop at the donut shop I saw last night to pick up some glazed goodness for your superior asshole self. And you owe me for your wonderful night!_

Best not to piss him off when I was hungry.

**Yes, Em, I do owe you. You're the best big brother in the whole world. I want chocolate glazed.**

Bella came out of the bathroom. "I have an extra toothbrush, so at least you can use that. When's your brother coming over?"

I grinned. "He'll be over soon. He's going to bring donuts. What do you like?"

She looked thrilled by that news. "Apple fritters!"

I smirked. "Apples, huh, teach?" She blushed. "I'll give you your apples." She huffed and opened her bedroom door and ducked into the kitchen.

**Bella likes apple fritters.**

What was she doing? I heard a noise. Ahh, coffee. That would be a good thing. I wasn't tired, yet, but I was likely going to be. Not that I regretted it.

_On it. What does my thorny Rose like? And I may as well get something for Pedo Chick. What does she want?_

Ugh. **Don't call Alice that, please. She helped me out with Bella last night. I don't know if I'd be here without her.**

Bella came in with a happy smile on her face. "What?" She threw something and I caught it on reflex. I laughed. "An apple for me? I thought I had to ply you with them."

She giggled. "Well you do, eventually. But we're being good right now, right?

She was fantastic. "Yeah, I suppose." I rubbed the apple against my shirt. "Do you know what kind of donuts Rose and Alice like? Emmett's buying."

Bella nodded. "Rose likes those Boston cream and Ali's a glazed girl."

I tossed the apple back to her. "Hold that for me."

**Boston cream for Rose, glazed for Alice.**

"That oughta do it. I'm going to brush my teeth now." I was looking forward to taking a shower, but I'd wait until I had my own clothes.

_Oh, I have cream for Rose._

Good God. I snorted. "What are you laughing at?"

"My brother's being a pervert."

She giggled. "Runs in the family. Can I see?" I held my phone out to her and she laughed hard when she saw it. "I think he's worse than you are."

I sniffed. "I'll have you know I'm a much classier pervert than he is." With that parting shot, I strolled past her to go to the bathroom to make myself semi-presentable.

"That's a matter of debate," she muttered.

I reached behind me and goosed her which made her shriek. "Edward!"

I smirked over my shoulder. "Just living up to my good perverted name."

"We'll see about that later," she called as I closed the door.

Ten minutes later I was a little more presentable. I used Bella's brush and my new toothbrush and washed my face with soap and water. I caught sight of her apricot and vanilla lotion from Bath & Body Works. I might have to break my unscented lotion rule and get a bottle for when we weren't together. I felt a pang at that thought. I hated that I had to leave her. But only for a few days. And then for weeks. Shit. We'd get through it.

I came out of the bathroom and Bella was sitting on her freshly made bed. "I could have helped with that."

She smiled. "I never make it. I totally did it because you're here."

I laughed and pulled her into my arms, kissing her soundly. "You don't need to put on airs for me, baby."

She smirked. "Well I just figured I'd straighten it up so we could mess it up later."

Fuck me. I opened my mouth to reply when the doorbell rang. "Emmett," I muttered.

Bella grinned and took my hand, yanking me out of her bedroom and practically running to the front door. "I think you're a little too excited for the wrong Cullen," I told her.

She giggled as she flipped the locks. "Actually, I'm all about the donuts. Handsome Cullens are a dime a dozen." She opened the door as I pinched her ass. I noticed she'd put on real clothes, which was a shame. Then again, I didn't need my brother getting an eyeful of Bella's braless boobs.

"Ass," she hissed at me as she smiled at my brother.

He grinned at her. "Well, I won't lie and claim I haven't been called that before, but usually a girl gets to know me a little before she calls me that."

I laughed and pulled her against me as we let him walk in with two boxes of donuts and my bag. "She's bright and calls 'em like she sees 'em."

"Shut up," she smacked at me and beamed at my brother. "I was calling Edward an ass."

"I thought you were asking me to touch your ass," I told her innocently.

Emmett let out one of his belly laughs and put the donut boxes on the bar. "He is an ass. You're right, bro, she is bright." Then he yanked her away from me and pulled her into a big bear hug. "Hi, Bella! It's great to finally meet you."

She laughed and hugged him back. "It's nice to meet you. I guess I have you to thank for bringing the ass up here."

"Hey, I'm right here!" I told them.

Emmett chuckled and released her. "Yes, I brought the asses' ass up here for you. I trust that he hasn't been too much of an ass? I could hit him for you if you like."

I glared at both of them and turned to open the donuts, grabbing my chocolate glazed and digging in. "Be careful, that'll go right to your ass," Emmett warned me. I thought about throwing it at him but I was too hungry.

Bella giggled and wrapped her arms around my waist. "Can I have a bite?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Would an ass share his donut?"

She grinned. "Yes, if he wanted to get some action later." I handed her the rest of my donut without delay. She smiled triumphantly and took a bite.

"Damn, she's good! I like you. Welcome to the family." Emmett told her, slapping her lightly on the back and grabbing his own, wolfing it down before Bella and I finished mine.

"The family?" she asked, sounding confused as she fed me the rest of my donut.

I glared at him. He better not dare…"Yeah, you're his girl right? So, you're family."

"Oh." Bella looked confused. "Are all his girlfriends family?"

Emmett laughed. "Hell no! Do you think I would have wanted Irina for a sister? She's an uptight princess. Just you, Bella."

She glanced at me and I shrugged. It was way too early to start talking about "the one" with her. Even though I knew my brother was right. She was "the one" alright. Thank God for that.

"Okay, well, cool." I handed Bella her fritter and she grinned and bit into it.

I leaned over to whisper in her ear. "That counts as one apple."

She blushed and giggled. "Okay," she said after she swallowed. I hoped Emmett had bought a dozen of them.

Emmett wandered over to that picture of the three girls again. "Where are the other two?" he asked, trying to sound all casual. Right.

"Sleeping I guess," Bella said.

Emmett frowned and put the picture down. He took another donut and sat on the couch. "What's taking so long? It's ten."

I laughed and grabbed a napkin and another donut before sitting down. Bella perched on the arm of the chair next to me but I tugged her into my lap. "Not everyone gets up at six like you do, Em."

"Six?" Bella asked as she settled back against me.

"Yeah, I go to the gym for two hours every morning." He flashed his dimples at her. "You don't get to look like this by eating donuts every Sunday."

I snorted. "You eat tons of crap, Emmett."

"I'll have you know I eat…"

"What do you eat?" a sexy voice purred from behind him. I glanced up and holy fuck, my brother was a dead man. It was as if my brother's wet dream had walked out of his head and into the apartment. Rose was standing in the hallway wearing jeans that were molded to her body, a white filmy top that was pretty close to being see-through from what I could tell and a black leather jacket and motorcycle boots. I quickly looked at Bella whose lips were twitching.

Emmett turned his head and his jaw dropped open when he saw her. "I…I…"

She gave a tinkling laugh and walked into the living room, her hips swaying seductively. "I really hoped you were going to say something way more interesting than that." She patted him on the head and walked to the kitchen. "Coffee anyone?"

"I'll take a cup," Bella said, sounding strangled. I knew she was trying not to laugh.

"Me too," I said, keeping my eyes on my girl. Let Emmett devour Rose with his eyes. My Bella was even more beautiful in her simple jeans and sweatshirt. Emmett was practically hanging over the couch to look at Rose.

She brought a cup to me and Bella and got herself a donut before sitting on the other end of the couch from Emmett. "Did you bring these?" He nodded mutely. "Thank you." She gave him a glittering smile before biting in. She moaned loudly and Emmett groaned and shifted in his seat. A little of the cream leaked out of her mouth. She set the donut on a napkin and licked her lips.

"Fuck me," Emmett muttered loud enough for everybody to hear.

Bella buried her face in my neck and laughed silently. I could feel it moving through me. I kissed the side of her head.

Rose smiled over at him. "I might have, if you would have told me what you were up to. More's the pity."

Emmett sat up. "Hey, I got him here, didn't I? They're joined at the hip because of me!"

She hummed and sipped her coffee. "I made the call that got you on the road in the first place. If it wasn't for me, you'd probably still be sitting in your room trying to figure out how to fix things."

"Bullshit, I was nearly settled on my course of action before you called. I just needed to know Little Sister was on the same page as Eddie before I took action."

"I thought you were a man who acted first and thought later."

His blue eyes shot fire. "You don't know anything about me."

"Don't I?" she asked, smiling brightly at him before turning to face me. Emmett was fuming behind her. It was getting really hard not to laugh at them. The sexual tension in the room, which was already pretty high between me and Bella, shot up several levels.

"Did you two have a good night?"

Bella nodded against my neck and I laughed. "Yeah, we did."

Rose wrinkled her nose. "That's funny; I didn't hear any screaming coming from her room."

"Rose!" Bella lifted her head up and glared at her friend.

Emmett laughed. "He's no brother of mine, apparently. Obviously he was adopted."

"Fuck off, Emmett," I told him.

Rose turned back to him. "You mean he actually acts like a gentleman and gets to know a girl before fucking her? I can see how that would be a foreign concept for you." It was pretty damn funny how she went from one extreme to the other. My brother was in for it.

"Uh oh," Bella murmured. Alice took that moment to come into the living room. She took in the two of us and then Rose and Emmett who were glaring hotly at one another.

"Is this my living room or a National Geographic Special on the mating habits of American twenty-somethings?" she asked.

Before anybody could reply, Bella was up and hugging her tightly. "Thank you, Ali."

Alice hugged her back and smiled over at me. "It was the least I could do. I'm just glad that everything worked out."

Bella pulled back and turned to look at me, her face positively radiant. She took my breath away. "Yeah, you could say that it did."

"Except they didn't bang," Rose supplied helpfully.

"Which apparently qualifies my brother for saint status," Emmett muttered angrily.

"He's more saint than sinner," she snapped back.

"Listen, babe, don't tell me you don't prefer the sinners."

"You don't know shit about what I prefer!" This was getting out of hand. I looked at Bella for guidance but she looked as baffled as I was.

Alice glanced around the room. "Thank God I have plans today."

Emmett brightened up at that. "Oh yeah? Are you going to watch a marathon of _Cougartown_ to learn how to get your boy toy all worked up?" Rose smacked him and he grunted.

Alice flipped him off. "Actually I thought I'd go start a bar fight. All the cool losers are doing it."

Emmett huffed. "I haven't been in a fight in ages."

"If by ages you mean two months, then yeah, it's been ages." Alice rolled her gray eyes.

"You know, I brought you donuts but you can't have any now," Emmett told her.

She laughed and grabbed one anyway. "Thanks, dickhead."

"You're welcome, harpy." They were smiling at one another, though. What weirdos. Bella shrugged and came back over to me, where I happily drew her back into my lap.

"I have plans, too," Rose announced.

Emmett's eyes sharpened at that. "Plans, what plans?"

She smirked. "I'm going for a bike ride."

Emmett laughed. "Nice day for it. Gray and rainy. Enjoy pedaling through that."

"Do I look like I ride a ten speed?" she asked witheringly.

Emmett's eyes moved slowly over her body and he licked his lips. "No. You look like you ride way more interesting things." That was my brother. I shook my head.

She gasped softly but quickly recovered her equilibrium. "Damn right I do. This guy I know just got a Ducati. He's going to take me out on it."

"Guy? What guy?" Emmett demanded, his voice a notch higher.

"A friend." The way she said friend was loaded with innuendo.

"I thought we were going to hang out today," Emmett told her.

"Um, why would you think that? It's not like you fucking told me you were going to be here," Rose told him hotly.

"This is fascinating," Bella whispered in my ear.

"I know," I told her. "I think they're either going to start punching each other or kissing soon." Not that my brother would hit a girl. Maybe wrestle though.

She giggled. "Maybe both."

Alice was sitting in one of the dining room chairs watching and eating her donut. She was clearly as interested as the rest of us were.

"It was a surprise! I couldn't have you telling Bella and ruining things," he told her.

"Well, surprise, dipshit. I have a life and plans of my own. I'm not sitting around waiting for your plans to reveal themselves."

"What am I supposed to do all day?" he whined. "I don't want to sit around in a hotel or watching the lovebirds not have sex." How did he know what we would or wouldn't be doing?

"I have great faith that you can find something or someone to do," she told him.

Emmett glared. "I'm sure I can. Where are the sororities around here?" he asked Bella.

Before she could respond, Rose laughed. "You would go for sorority girls."

"You would go for douches on motorcycles. Do you even know what a real machine feels like? A fucking Ducati. I have a Tomahawk at home and a Venom downstairs. I could take you for a better ride than that prick can!"

"So why don't you then?" she demanded. The next thing I knew, his hands were in her jacket and he was hauling her to him and kissing the life out of her. She didn't seem to mind, though. She was pulling his hair and fusing her mouth to his.

"Holy shit," I told Bella. She was staring with her mouth wide open and Alice was laughing and banging on the table.

"How did that happen?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Anger to heat, I guess."

They broke apart and stared at one another. Rose tugged her leather jacket out of his hold. "I meant, why don't you take me for a ride in your car?" There was no heat in her voice now.

"I'll do that too," he told her, looking dazed. "First you call whomever you had plans with and break them."

"Uh oh," Bella whispered. "Not good."

"Don't tell me what to do," she warned, glaring at him.

"I'm not telling you what to do. I'm telling you what I will do if you break your plans."

She considered him for a moment. "I want to drive it."

"No," he told her, but I could tell from the tone of his voice that he was going to let her. Damn it, another person that got to drive it before I did. Oh well, I'd be with Bella which was a billion times better anyway.

"Sam was going to let me drive his bike," she told him.

"Sam?" Alice asked, and then started laughing loudly. Bella's face flushed. What in the hell was that about? "You're going out with Sam?"

Rose sniffed. "I'm not sleeping with him. I just wanted a ride."

"Well, at least you could have driven just fine with him behind you. Nothing poking you in the ass!" Alice shrieked. She was in tears she was laughing so hard. Bella giggled but was still red as hell.

Emmett shot me a what the fuck look and I shrugged. "What's so funny about Sam?" Emmett sounded very annoyed.

"Nothing," Rose said at the same time that Alice piped up with "Pinky peen!" Bella just groaned.

Emmett brightened considerably. "Really? You were going to go out with a guy with teeny weenie? How cute is that? I'm afraid I don't carry any condoms that could accommodate him but I might have one of those dime rolls from a bank you could use."

"I'm not sleeping with him," she replied through clenched teeth.

"Sounds like that's a good thing," he told her. "You wouldn't get off anyway."

"I don't need a man to get me off," she snapped.

"No, but it's a lot more fun if you do." Emmett grinned. "So are you canceling on Short Sam or not?"

Rose sniffed. "I will, but for Bella."

"For Bella?" He laughed. "What's she got to do with it?"

"Because, dummy, they need some privacy. They don't need you crying about being bored all day. I'll take you off their hands, because I'm nice."

He laughed loudly. "You're a real humanitarian, Rosie."

"Don't call me Rosie," she ordered.

"Why not? I like it."

"How would you like it if I called you Emmie?"

"As long as it's some form of my name you're calling, I don't have a problem with it," he replied, leering at her.

"Hell," Alice muttered. "I'm going to meet my study group."

"Wait," Rose called, standing up. "I need to talk to you and you in my bedroom." She pointed at Alice and Bella.

Bella sighed and gave me a quick kiss. "Be right back."

Both girls followed her into the room and shut the door. Emmett stood and I knew what he was about to do. "Emmett, don't spy on them."

"Don't you want to know what they're saying?" I raised an eyebrow at him and he sat back down. "Fine. You're no fun."

"What the fuck was that with you and Rose?" I demanded.

"What do you mean?" he asked, smiling brightly.

"Um, hello, you two fought like cats and dogs and then kissed and then went back to fighting."

Emmett chuckled. "Isn't it great?"

"It's the weirdest foreplay I've ever seen."

He grinned. "She's my one, man."

What? Holy shit. "You mean?"

He nodded. "Isn't it great? Your one and my one are best friends! At least we don't have to worry about the wives getting along someday."

Wives? "Emmett, aren't you jumping the gun a little?"

He laughed. "Please. Don't tell me you aren't thinking ahead with Bella already." I couldn't deny that, though I hadn't leapt all the way to marriage.

"You just met," was my response.

"So did you. You know how it works. I see the way you look at Bella." I probably did. "I sort of knew it yesterday when I saw her picture but then she walked in here and snapped at me and I was done." Emmett shook his head. "Now I just have to make her fall in love with me."

I laughed. "That might be easier said than done."

He smirked. "I like a challenge. Wait until I tell Mom. She's gonna die. Both of us in one day."

Speaking of which…"I'm supposed to call her."

Emmett whipped out his phone and called for me. "Hey Ma. Edward's fine. Great even. You should see him. Can't keep his hands off his girl." I glared as he laughed. "I know. They're cute as hell. Yeah, I'll take a picture. She's great. I really like her. Eddie loves her but I bet he hasn't told her that yet." Well, I sort of had but it had been a slip of the tongue. Tongue with Bella. Fuck.

"Guess what, Mama." He paused and laughed. "No, I'm not in trouble. Well, maybe I sort of am, but in a good way." He laughed again. "Not like that. I met my one, too. You'll like her. She's full of fire and gorgeous." She must have been talking because he got quiet again. "Yeah, she's Bella's best friend, which is convenient, don't you think?"

I rolled my eyes as he continued. "Well, I haven't done more than fight with her yet. Though we did kiss once. It was hot as hell." Another pause. "Hell is not a bad word, Ma. Anyway, I'm going to spend the day with her, show her a little Cullen charm. She'll be all over me by the end of the night."

His confidence was astounding. He'd kissed her, not the other way around. She just hadn't stopped him. "Yes, Ma, I'll be a gentleman. Eddie's teaching me how." A laugh. "Yeah, he's good at that. I'll work on teaching him not to be. Between the two of us, maybe we can get it right." He snorted. "No, I'm not bragging about my conquests, mother. This is different." He smiled. "I will. Okay. We both love you too. We'll call tomorrow from the road. Bye, Ma."

He hung up and grinned. "She's super excited. She wants pics of our girls pronto."

"Rose isn't your girl yet."

"But she will be. And I notice you didn't deny that Bella was yours." I couldn't stop my smile. "Hot damn little brother. You may be slow on the naked times but not on the romantic ones. I'm actually sorta proud."

"Thanks, I think." I wondered if I should hop in the shower while the girls were talking. Who knew how long it was going to take three women to discuss whatever they were discussing, likely us.

"I'm going to go take a shower," I told Emmett.

"Okay." He grabbed the remote off the coffee table and flipped the TV on. "If we're not here when you get out, just do what comes naturally."

"Do what comes naturally? Are you a douche commercial or something?"

He chuckled. "No, you're the douche in the family. I'm just telling you that it's okay not to be a gentleman if you get the signals that she wants more. Bella's not the type of girl you have a one night stand with. You're in this for the long haul and you both know it. So wait if you want, don't wait if you don't. Just…do what feels natural."

I shook my head. "Okay. Well, if you're gone when I get out…"

"I'll text you later and let you know how it's going with Rosie. And I'll be here at eight so we can hit the road." My face must have fallen because he nodded. "I know, man. But we'll be back with them in four days. You'll make it."

Maybe. It was going to be impossible to leave her, though. "Okay. See you later."

I grabbed my bag and went back into Bella's room, closing the door behind me. I pulled out some jeans, a blue t-shirt and my boxers and laid them out on the bed. I went into Bella's bathroom and found a clean towel folded on the counter for me. She was such a thoughtful, wonderful girl. I got in her shower and tried desperately not to think of the phone fantasy we'd shared that first night. I failed miserably, but at least I tried. It would be a tight fit but it was doable. And I shouldn't be thinking such things. We had time. We'd make love when it was right. Our first time should probably not be in the shower, even though it was a hot as hell fantasy.

Soon. We'd have the place to ourselves all afternoon and evening, hopefully. Who knew what would happen? I couldn't wait to find out, though.


	23. Chapter 23

I managed to get my dick to calm down by turning the nozzle to cold before finishing my shower. Even that was difficult, though. My mind kept imagining a wet, naked Bella pressed up against me in the small space. One day soon we'd make it a reality.

I dried off with the towel she'd provided and wrapped it around my waist before heading back into the bedroom to get dressed. I was almost to the bed when the bedroom door opened.

"Edward are you…" Bella broke off making a strangled noise when she no doubt saw me in nearly all my glory. I turned to face her and she was staring at me with her mouth wide open. Of course I immediately got hard again.

"Uh, sorry," I told her. "The bathroom's kinda small so I thought I'd get dressed in here." Her eyes traveled down my body and I saw her cheeks start to redden.

"Right. That's not a problem. I'll just…yeah." I didn't know what that meant and she was standing there staring at me.

It was disconcerting and a turn on all at the same time. What should I do here? Drop my towel like they did in the movies and see what happens? Movies? That didn't happen in my sort of movie. That happened in Emmett's sort. Despite our naughty talks, Bella and I weren't in some porno.

"Bella, what did you need?"

"You?" she asked, her eyes focused on my chest or…hell, were they focused on my obviously tented towel? How was I supposed to behave when she looked like she'd like to rip my towel off and go to town?

I smiled at her. "I'm all yours."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. It was so fucking cute. "I meant, I was checking to see if you were done with the shower so I could get a turn." Her eyes remained closed and I had to laugh.

"Well, you can see, or I guess at the moment you can't…" I broke off when she opened her eyes and shot me a baleful glance. "Yes, the shower is all yours."

"Okay, then. I'll just…go." She turned and hurried into the bathroom before I could comment. Of course, thoughts of her naked and taking a shower assaulted me again and I groaned, fighting the urge to follow her in and take her. Judging from her expression, she probably wouldn't reject my advances. No, not like that. I could wait, even if it was killing me.

I pulled on my boxers and jeans, carefully, then a shirt, and went into the living room. I needed a distraction and I needed to call Kate and see what was going on. She'd called several times and I knew I was going to be in deep shit for not returning her calls. Best to go another route. I sat on the couch and hit a number.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing," a voice greeted me. What? How?

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"I'm talking about you calling me instead of my wife because you think I'll be your go-between," Garrett replied.

He was a sharp guy. "It's not my fault, G. Emmett kidnapped me and…"

"Dear God, please tell me that you're not in prison, married or in bed with some strange woman," he interrupted. I had to laugh. My brother's reputation preceded itself.

"None of the above." I'd been in bed with a very wonderful woman who wasn't strange at all.

"Thank God. So why'd he kidnap you and did he steal your phone too?"

Er, well…"No. I just needed some time to myself, G. Surely you get that."

He sighed. "I get it, but Kate won't be as understanding."

"I know. I'm in Washington, Garrett."

There was a long pause. "Isn't that where that girl…wait, are you with that girl?"

I laughed. "Yes, I am. I can't explain it all now but we had a misunderstanding and Emmett brought me here to resolve it."

"I see. And did you? What am I asking, of course you did. You sound like the cat that ate the canary."

"What does that even mean? Am I meowing?"

He snorted. "No. But you sound satisfied and happy and shit. Which is great. So I take it all is going well?"

I smiled. "Very."

"Well, good for you, man."

"Thanks, she's really…" I heard a grunt and knew my conversation with Garrett was about over.

"Edward Cullen, where in the hell have you been? Actually, don't even bother to answer that. Just tell me when you're coming home."

Kate's angry voice cut through the line. "Uh, I'll be there in time for my meeting with Marcus. Tuesday right?"

"Tuesday!" she shouted. "You damn well better be. Now what's this about a girl?"

"Bella. I'm in Washington with Bella."

Another pause. "That girl you were talking to?"

"Yes."

"Yes? That's all you have to say, yes? What's the deal? Have you been seen? Do I need to give a press release? Are we denying anything?"

Denying? Hell no. "Of course we're not denying anything. I haven't been seen. Well, I guess that's not entirely true."

"What do you mean, not entirely true?" she asked suspiciously.

"Emmett got pulled over in southern Washington but he didn't get a ticket. The cops saw us, but other than that, no."

"Of course he did," she muttered. "So, what's the deal? Are you off the market?"

I had to smile. "Yes, I am." Bella was my girl and I was her guy.

"Mmm hmm. Are you ready to tell the world that?"

Was I? It wasn't me I was worried about. "I don't know. Yes, I'd like it to be known that I have a girlfriend but I don't want her name or face out there right now. She's a student, Kate. She deserves some privacy."

"Okay. Then I say we sit on it for the moment. No matter what, the press is going to clamor for it. You lay low wherever you are, though, or I won't be able to buy time and protect you."

"I will, Kate. How's everything been?"

Kate snorted. "You mean since your run on the red carpet with Jane? Well, there are about a thousand fansites dedicated to your romance." I winced at that. "My phone's been ringing off the hook and my 'they're just good friends' remarks seem to be falling on deaf ears. You and your real girl might need to step out sooner rather than later if you don't want to be linked to Jane. That or she needs to get hot and heavy with someone publicly."

That probably explained why Jane had called. "Keep denying. I'll talk to Bella and see what she thinks and get back to you."

"I'm sure you will. So, tell me about her!" I laughed. Her professional tone was gone and she sounded like the friend she was rather than my employee.

"She's incredible. Beautiful, funny, smart, sexy. Everything I could want in a girl and more."

"Awesome. When do I get to meet her?"

"I don't know. I just met her." I paused. No time like the present, when she actually seemed happy about Bella. "Make sure my schedule's totally clear from Friday til Monday of the following week."

"What Monday? Three days later or ten days later?"

"Ten," I told her, bracing for it.

"Ten days?" she demanded. "You have an interview with Rolling Stone that week, plus a meeting with Davies for some script discussion and shooting prep. Are you trying to kill me?"

"Move it, Kate. Please?"

She sighed. "Alright, but you better do everything I advise from here on out."

"I'll be a good boy."

She laughed. "I've heard that before! Luckily, you're not so bad. If running off to meet your dream girl is as bad as you get, I can work with it."

"I promise. I'll be a perfect angel."

"As if. Go, have fun with your girl and have your ass at that meeting with Marcus or I'll leak some rumor to the press about you wearing women's clothing."

"I'd look hot in that dress you wore to the premiere," I told her, smiling.

She laughed. "You probably would and somehow you'd manage to look better than me which would piss me right the fuck off. Have fun and I'll see you Tuesday." With that, she was gone.

It hadn't gone bad at all. Now for Jane. I hit her number and waited.

"Hi, Mr. Turner!" she greeted me cheerily when she came on the line.

Ugh. "Seriously, Jane?"

"What? Like I'm changing my name to Cullen? Edward Turner sounds much better than Jane Cullen."

I rolled my eyes. "What are you on about, woman?"

She laughed. "Haven't you seen the rags? We're secretly married and I'm having twins. One is yours, one is Demetri's. It's the story of the century."

"Please tell me they do not say that."

"Okay, they don't say that. Well, the _Enquirer_ does, but not even the nutbags believe that one anymore. Did you know they're calling us Janeward? Our couple name really blows."

She was laughing her ass off. "Well, good thing we're not a couple, then." Bella came out of her room and raised an eyebrow at that comment. I waved her over and she dropped down next to me. I wrapped an arm around her and felt my eyes roll back in my head at the apricot vanilla scent that washed over me. I wanted to lick it right off her.

"I know, but nobody believes that. Can't you charm the pants off of one of those _Extra_ hos and get the real story out?"

I laughed. "The real story? That I went to help you look good in front of Demetri?"

"No, dumbass, that we're friends and we went together since we're both single."

I ran my fingers through Bella's damp hair. "That would be a lie, since I'm not single, no thanks to you."

"Oh yeah, your girl. Wait a minute, what do you mean, no thanks to me?"

"She saw your little performance on Wednesday night and it didn't go over too well." Everything was fine, of course, but I couldn't help giving Jane a little shit.

"What? I thought she didn't know who you were?"

I laughed. "Well, that's a long story but she did know and everything blew up in both our faces."

"Oh my God, Edward, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have been drinking, I knew that, but I freaked out and…fuck. Why do I have to fuck everything up?"

Well crap, she sounded like she was going to cry. I was an ass. "It's fine, Jane, really. It made us be honest with one another and I'm here with her now. We're great."

She blew out a breath. "Edward Cullen, you prick, I'm going to kick your ass for scaring me like that. Wait, she's with you?"

I think I'd been threatened by more women this week than in the entirety of my life. "Yes."

"Let me talk to her."

"What? Why?" I looked at Bella who was smiling softly.

"Because I want to apologize for upsetting her, you dumbass. Phone, now!"

Jeez. I handed Bella my phone. "Jane wants to talk to you."

She blinked a couple times. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Jane Turner?"

"No, the other Jane that you freaked out about." She poked me and I laughed. "Yes, would you talk to her please?"

Bella took the phone and slowly brought it up to her ear. "Hello?" She listened. "Yeah, this is Bella." Her head rested on my shoulder and I ran my hand up and down her side. "I know. He explained." A pause. "Yeah, I've been there too. My ex cheated on me. I suppose if I knew a guy like Edward I would have definitely paraded him in front of his face."

"Parade me now, baby," I whispered. She giggled.

"No, it wasn't your fault. I jumped to conclusions and instead of talking to him; I went off like a crazy person." She listened again. "Yeah, but I should have stayed the hell away from the web." A laugh. "Janeward? That's stupid. I don't get that name mishmash thing anyway. It's just lazy journalism, if you can call the tabloids journalism."

That was a definite stretch. "Please, it's fine. We're fine." Bella looked at me and smiled. "Better than fine." She kissed my cheek. "Yeah, he's the best." A blush. "Okay, thanks Jane."

She handed me back the phone. "Janie?"

"I like her, Edward. She seems very sweet. She could have been rightfully pissed at me for what I did but she's not at all."

"Bella's amazing," I told her. Bella's blush deepened.

"Well, you treat her right and whenever you get her to town, I want to meet her."

"Count on it. Talk to you soon, Janie."

"Okay, Edward. Love ya! Bye!"

I hung up and turned to Bella. "So, that was Jane."

Bella shook her head. "She seems really nice. I'm sorry for the things I thought about her."

I laughed. "Don't be. I'm not sorry for what I thought about Colin."

She giggled and gave me a smacking kiss. "You crack me up."

"Good. Now, we have the place to ourselves." I was thrilled about that. "What would you like to do?"

She blushed and I wondered if she was thinking about what I was thinking about.

"How about play Scrabble?" she asked. Apparently not. Scrabble?

"Scrabble?"

She bit her lip and looked up at me. "Well, it's sort of how we met, you know? We could play _Words_ but that would be less interactive. It could be fun, don't you think?"

I could think of other fun I'd like to have but if she wanted to play Scrabble, we'd play Scrabble. "Sure baby, let's play."

She grinned and hopped off the couch. She took my hand and pulled me to the dining room table, where the board game was waiting. "Planning this, were you?" I asked as she got out the board. I helped her flip over tiles.

"Hmm, I thought it could be fun." She wasn't looking at me but was still blushing. What was that about? Did she want to play dirty Scrabble? Strip Scrabble? How did one do that? What did I care? If it involved getting naked, I didn't need rules.

The tiles were flipped and I sat in the chair next to hers. She was too far away to touch, which really sucked, but I could hardly move closer without seeing her tiles. Why were we playing this again?

"Can I go first?" she asked quietly.

"Be my guest." I was truly mystified by her sudden shyness. It was just Scrabble.

She chewed on her lip and thought for a second before placing her tiles on the table. N, A, K, E, D. She looked at me, her cheeks red. Oh…did that? Were we? Should I? Shit…why couldn't I talk?

"Uh, double word score, nice," I managed to force out.

Bella shrugged. "I'm not keeping score." Well then. Sexy Scrabble it was. Suddenly this game just got a whole lot more interesting.

What did I have? Motrine? Yeah, that wasn't hot. Oooh, yeah. I used her A and put down MOAN. She let out a little gasp and I watched her closely. Her cheeks were burning red.

"Bella? Are you okay? Did I misunderstand the…"

"No, you got it," she interrupted quickly. Okay then. I drew three tiles and got a blank tile, the X and an H. This might be difficult.

Bella put down MELT off my M. What now? Dim? Dirt? Oooh. I chuckled to myself as I put down DIRT and my blank tile. "That's a Y" I told her. Bella giggled and grinned at me. She was a little less red now. I brushed my finger over her cheek. "You don't need to be shy with me."

"I know. It's just a little different when you're right here."

"I like it. I already know just how dirty your mind is, Bella. It's a pleasure to watch it live and in person."

She laughed and kissed my hand. "As is yours."

"Are you trying to tell me something?" I had to know.

"I don't know." She smiled at me mischievously. "I guess we'll just have to see what words I play."

Holy shit. "Just so you know, this is the best game of Scrabble in the history of the world."

She giggled. "I'm just getting started."

Fuck. I was gonna die, but what a way to go. "Bring it, baby."

She put down ROD and laughed again. I felt my rod getting very hard at her word and the way her left hand brushed my knee under the table. Was she trying to find my rod?

My word was easy. I'd drawn a R, S, A and D so I slapped SEX down on my Y. "That's you," I told her. She licked her lips and I fought to keep from yanking her over the table and onto my lap.

Bella added an S to MELT and put LIP above that. She was taunting me. She knew how much I wanted to kiss her right now. I drew an O, M and T. I could play PART, like part your legs and let me fuck you, or I could play…yeah. That was better. I could give it back to her.

I played HEART off my E in sexy. Bella stared at me and I smiled and this time I couldn't resist kissing her. I leaned over and so did she and my lips were on hers. The table was cutting into my chest and probably hers as well but I didn't care because her arms were around me and her mouth was hot and wet against mine and she was making these sexy little sounds that made me want to swallow her whole.

We broke apart and smiled at one another. Bella giggled. "No tuna this time?"

I groaned. "I can't believe you remember that. I had shitty letters!"

"Alright, I forgive you since you gave me your heart now."

She started to turn back to the board but I caught her hand. "It is yours, you know." It was the closest I could come to saying that other word, that one that had slipped out earlier. I was close, but I wasn't ready to declare myself all the way yet.

Bella's eyes teared up and she kissed me softly. "I know," she told me when she pulled away. "And mine's yours, for as long as you want it."

I brushed her hair away from her face. It was still a little damp. "I'll want it for a long, long time," I warned her.

She smiled. "Good." She turned back to the board and grinned at me as she played TIT off my heart. Well, I hearted her tits for sure.

I drew an E, L, N and another E. Lovely letters. Then again. I laughed as I played peen off her lips. Bella started laughing so hard I was afraid she was going to fall out of her chair. "What?"

"That was..." she broke off and tried to catch her breath. "The first word!" What the hell did that mean?

"What first word?"

She shook her head and wiped tears from her eyes. "I could have played that as our first word but I was afraid it was too perverted so I used name instead."

I joined in her laughter. "I can't imagine how I would have reacted had I opened a random game to the word peen."

"I know!" she giggled. "I wouldn't hesitate to play it now but back then I was afraid of scaring you off."

I was so glad she hadn't. "Well, you're stuck with me now," I told her.

She batted her eyes at me. "I won't complain about that."

"Better not," I warned her.

She smirked as she played BEND off my PEEN. I winced. "You better not be thinking of bending the peen."

Bella shook with laughter. "No, I was thinking of something else." Her cheeks colored again. I had to know.

"What?"

"Something Rose said," she muttered. Well, that had to be good.

"Are you gonna enlighten me? Don't think I didn't notice that you got really red when Rose was talking about that Sam guy."

"You noticed?" she asked, looking slightly green instead of red now. What in the hell?

"It was hard not to, what with you in my arms and all. Are you okay baby?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Uh…so one or the other?" I shrugged. Whatever she wanted. "Shit, which is less embarrassing?" Well this could be good. "Sam was a one night stand I had after Tyler and I broke up."

Oh. OH. "So you got the pinky peen?" Bella sighed and nodded. Well, that was…what was that? Was I glad that her last sexual experience had been forgettable? Sort of but that was kind of mean. "Um, wow. Sorry, Bella." It seemed like something I should offer condolences over, right?

Bella laughed. "It was a long time ago and I'm over it. I just couldn't believe Rose brought him up in front of you, even if she didn't say why. I need to kick her ass for that later."

"Now that I'd like to see." Bella shook her head and I decided to drop the subject by playing a new word. I drew an I, U and Z which absolutely sucked. LIM? Not a word and even if it is, not sexy. DIM? Ha. DOM? I guess, though I hope she didn't want me to put on leather pants and tie her to the bed and well, tying her to the bed wasn't a bad thing at all. I played DOM and watched her eyes widen. I laughed at her expression.

"You're cute when you're flustered," I told her.

She narrowed her eyes at me. I smiled at her and waited to see what she'd come up with. She frowned at her letters and then at the board. Suddenly, she smiled. Her hand shot out and she grabbed the K out of naked and put SPANKED down in the right side of the board, where we had no letters.

Fuck. Never mind the fact that she was cheating, but she had to go and play that right after I had that tying her down image? What was she trying to do to me? My cock was back at attention and so was every part of me. It felt like I was sweating. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to center myself like I did before a tough scene.

"That was an illegal move. Two of them, actually," I informed her.

"What are you going to do about it?" she asked. My eyes flew open and she was biting her lip, her gorgeous brown eyes sparkling at me. That was a very good question. I glanced at my shitty tiles and grabbed a handful as she giggled at my actions. There we go. I found what I needed. FUCK I played off her SPANKED.

Her eyes widened and she licked those perfect lips of hers again. She kept her gaze on mine for a long moment before she snatched the M off of DOM and placed it above the E in spanked.

"Bella," I groaned. I had my hands on the edge of the table and my knuckles turned white with the effort I was expending to hold myself in my chair.

"What?" she asked. That look she was giving me. Was it a "go for it" type look? I wasn't a fool. I knew that the likelihood of us making it through the day without giving in to the need for one another wasn't likely. But I'd thought we'd work our way to it by kissing and cuddling, not by her throwing down a nonverbal challenge via Scrabble.

"Do you know what you're doing to me?" I asked.

"I sure hope so," she replied.

"You don't want to wait?" I asked. She shook her head. "Thank fucking God." I swept the board off the table and hauled her across it, fusing my lips to hers. Tiles clattered to the floor but I didn't stop kissing her. My hands were on her breasts and hers were on my t-shirt, trying to tug it free from my jeans. I stood up and yanked it off for her. She stared at me from her place on the table and I really, really wanted to yank her pants off and take her right there but no, not the first time. I'd fuck her all over the apartment after but for the first time…no. I needed to be gentle, even if I wanted to ravage her here and now.

I took her hand and gently pulled her down from the table. My hands tangled in her hair and I pulled her to me, kissing her just as passionately but not as hard. Bella moaned and rubbed her body against mine. Fuck that felt good. I stepped back and looked down at her. "You're sure."

"Yes, Edward. I want you," she told me. Her cheeks were a light red but her eyes met mine confidently.

Hearing her say that was enough to make me ready to come. "I want you too, baby. But I want to do it right. Not here at the table." I laughed as her face fell a little and she glanced at the table. "Later, I promise."

She smiled. "Yeah?"

"Anywhere you want, baby. First I want to make love to you, though. Will that work?" I touched her cheek gently.

Bella's beautiful eyes met mine. "Yes." I scooped her up and she gasped. "I always wanted to be carried into a bedroom."

"Well, allow me," I told her. I carried her into the bedroom and lay her gently on the bed. She looked up at me trustingly, her eyes shining with emotion. Was it the same one coursing through me? Did she love me? I couln't ask her yet, but I could show her. I would show her.


	24. Chapter 24

How many times had I imagined this moment? Here she was, lying on a bed, waiting for me. It felt like I'd been waiting for this for years, but it had only been a few weeks. I'd dreamed of her like this before I'd seen her beautiful face, looked into her pretty eyes and tasted her soft lips. She was smiling up at me and I didn't see one ounce of hesitation on her face, thank God. I don't know how I thought I could wait until the cabin. Maybe, if my brother and her friends had stayed, I could have resisted for the day, but I probably would have still tried to sneak off with her. I craved her.

I lowered myself down on top of her, wanting time to kiss and touch her, to drive her wild before we took each other. My lips met hers, softly at first. Her body was warm and soft beneath me as I pressed my chest to hers. Her legs were spread to accommodate me, so I could press my jean-covered cock exactly where it wanted to be. She moaned softly as I thrust gently against her. Even through two pairs of jeans, it felt like heaven.

Our kisses were soft, slow and gentle. I moved my fingers up and down her arms, touching her lightly. She shivered underneath me and moaned into my mouth. Her hands came up to wrap around me, flexing against my back and trying to pull me closer. I felt like I was on fire as she touched my bare skin.

I moved my lips down her jaw, kissing and nibbling my way behind her ear. "Edward," she murmured.

I nibbled on her left ear lobe. "Yes, Bella?"

She tilted her head and gave me access to that delicate skin behind her ear. I licked and sucked on her neck as she moved beneath me. "I want you."

I smiled against her skin. "You have me." I ran my hands down her sides, dragging my fingers lightly across the swells of her breasts and back down as I kissed every inch of skin I could. If I had my way, there wouldn't be one spot on her body that I didn't touch or taste.

Her hands found my hair and she ran her fingers through it lightly as I kissed the curve of her neck, nipping the skin there. I loved the way she tasted and smelled. I could legitimately spend hours just breathing her in and kissing her neck if she'd let me. The way she moved underneath me, pressing herself against my groin told me that she wouldn't be overly receptive to that idea. Neither would my aching cock, for that matter.

I kissed my way back up to her mouth and licked her lower lip. She opened to me and our tongues met and twisted together. Her grip on my head tightened and she arched her back up toward me, seeking friction. I kissed her harder and ground myself against her, swallowing her gasp. I moved against her, matching the movement of her hips. So fucking good. I knew it would be.

Bella ran her hands down my back, scraping her nails lightly over my skin, causing me to shiver. It felt incredible. I thrust harder against her and she smiled against my lips. I broke our kiss and grinned down at her.

"You like driving me crazy?" I asked her.

She licked her lips, tasting me on her tongue. What a hot fucking thought that was. "Yes, very much."

I laughed. "I'm going to enjoy doing the same to you, baby." I pushed off her and crouched between her legs. I tugged on the edge of her t-shirt and pulled it up, slowly revealing that soft white stomach. She had a sexy dip where her belly button was and I couldn't wait to explore it with my tongue. Big brown eyes focused on me as I lifted her shirt ever higher, getting to the edge of her bra, which appeared to be a dark blue lacy number that I couldn't wait to see all of. I lifted the shirt higher and there were her breasts, perfect handfuls that I longed to touch and taste. Finally I had it up to her neck and I pulled it gently from her shoulders. Her hair was slightly tousled as I tossed her shirt aside. She'd need a shower later. So would I. I couldn't wait.

I traced my fingers along the edge of her bra, admiring how it stood out against her pale skin. It was Bella's turn to shiver from my touch. "You're stunning," I told her, leaning back down to capture her lips. I stayed on my knees so I could continue to touch her satiny skin and revel in all the new beauty before me. I let my thumbs brush across her nipples which caused her to moan, sending vibrations through my lips.

My fingers continued to move over her nipples as I kissed my way back down her neck, licking and sucking my way into new territory, down to the tops of her breasts. I peered up at her as I traced my tongue along the edges of the satin and lace. Her lips were parted and she was watching me with a slightly glazed look to her eyes. I smiled as my tongue dipped beneath the lace on her right breast. She gasped and arched her back toward me. I took the opportunity to reach beneath her and open her clasp.

Her bra came loose and I pulled it off her shoulders. I kept my eyes on hers as I slid the straps down her arms and tossed it aside. Finally, I looked down and there they were, those beautiful breasts that I'd fantasized about since she'd sent me that photo in that too tight shirt. They were even better than I imagined. Rosy nipples stood at attention, just waiting to be touched and sucked. I immediately had my hands on them, rolling each between my thumbs and pointer fingers, marveling as they puckered and hardened even more.

I had to taste one, so I bent again and took the right nipple into my mouth. Bella moaned and her hands grasped my head, holding me to her breast as I sucked gently, flicking it with my tongue. Better, so much better than I imagined. My right hand repeated my movements on her left breast, pulling gently on her nipple as I scraped my teeth over the one in my mouth. The sounds she was making, the way her body was moving underneath me, was driving me insane and we were both still half dressed. I didn't know how I'd be able to contain myself when she was naked, but I did know that I needed to taste her.

I released the right breast and turned my attention to the other one, swirling my tongue around it, gently biting her as she cried out loudly. Thank God we were alone. Her sounds were mine and mine alone. I licked and sucked as she vibrated below me. My hands moved down her body, tracing along her sides, brushing over her hips. I was so close to where I wanted to be.

The button on her jeans was easy to undo and I slid her zipper down. I released her nipple and watched her closely, but there was still no hesitation there. She was lifting her hips toward me, wordlessly telling me to continue, so I pulled on her waistband and drew her jeans down, revealing some more pretty, pale skin and underwear that matched the bra I'd thrown somewhere. I grinned at her.

"Do you always wear matching underwear or is that just for me?" I asked.

Bella smirked. "That's for me to know."

Secrets…that's okay, these were the good kind, something I could discover over time. It would be my very great pleasure to assess what was under her clothes on a daily basis, purely to satisfy my curiosity of course.

"And me to find out? I'll take that challenge." She laughed as I tugged her jeans down her lovely legs. I hadn't seen enough of those yet. She'd been in that sexy dress for only a short time before the pajama pants came out. I kissed the side of her knee as I moved back up her body and she gasped and jerked. So responsive. I couldn't wait to drive her crazy.

I stopped my ascent up her form and paused to admire her. Her hair tumbled over the light green pillowcase, the brown curls becoming more prominent as her hair dried. It was a tangled mess which I loved, because I had every intention of getting her into the shower later. Her eyes were dark and hot on my face. Her lips were swollen from my kisses. Her neck was slightly pink from my kisses. I frowned and touched her soft skin.

"Did I hurt you?" I should have shaved this morning.

"God, no," she told me, her hand stilling mine. "You've made me feel incredible and you haven't really touched me yet."

I had to laugh. "I haven't, huh? Just what are you saying, Bella?"

She huffed and sat up, causing me to lean back on my knees. Her hands moved over my chest before her lips followed, her tongue and teeth moving over my skin. She sucked my nipple into her mouth and I moaned with pleasure as she tugged on it. She released me and smiled. "Is that enough for you?"

"Fuck no," I told her, pinning her back on the bed and kissing her hard. She thought I was a tease, did she? I broke our kiss and stared at her. "Message received, baby."'

I kissed each breast again before making my way down her stomach. I nibbled on her hipbone. She gasped as my teeth moved over her. My hands were on her, at last, touching that silky material that kept her from being totally naked before me. She was wet and God I wanted to touch her. I traced a finger along her pussy lips and she let out a long, low moan. She was so beautiful that I didn't have words for it.

I hooked my fingers in her panties and slid them over hips. She bent her legs to help me. Just a few inches more and yes…there she was and fuck me, she was bare. I bit back a groan as I removed that tiny scrap of clothing and dropped it on the floor behind me. I kissed the inside of her thigh. Her skin was so soft. I rested my head there and watched her as I lightly touched her clit with my middle finger. Bella gasped and spread her legs wider. She was amazingly open and free with me, which wasn't something I was honestly used to. I hadn't been with a ton of women, but the ones I had would never just let me sit and watch them as I gave them pleasure. Hell, Irina rarely even took everything off. My Bella had no inhibitions with me, which I loved. She wasn't intimidated by me. She gave me everything.

She was incredibly wet. I pressed a second finger against her clit and she lifted her pelvis off the bed a little to meet me. I moved my fingers down and slid one inside her. Fuck, she was tight and wet and hot. I couldn't wait to be inside of her. I pushed a second finger in and she moaned and called my name. I could get addicted to that sound and my name coming off her lips.

I moved my fingers slowly in and out of her as I leaned forward and finally I touched my tongue to her clit. Her moan went straight to my cock but I told myself to keep calm and continued to run my tongue lightly over her as my fingers moved slowly in and out of her pussy.

"Edward, oh, God," she murmured. Her right leg was bent, lying flat on the bed, and her left was pressed against my head, almost like she was guiding me. I smiled as I sucked her clit into my mouth and nibbled gently. She gasped and thrust her hips toward me. "So good," she told me. I increased the pressure with my tongue and moved my fingers faster. She was getting wetter and gripping me tightly. I knew it had been awhile for her and I had to make it good. I had to show her what she meant to me since I didn't have the words yet.

I reached underneath her with my free hand and lifted her hips off the bed a little, squeezing her ass cheek as I did so. Her legs spread wider and I licked her faster, flattening my tongue against her clit and then flicking it back and forth. My fingers curled inside her as I moved them in and out. Bella was writhing on the bed, her hands fisted in her bedspread as I drove her up. I bit her clit again before circling my tongue over her. I dropped it down to the base of her pussy; where my fingers were pumping her, and licked all the way back up her.

She was so sweet and wet and ready for me. I licked and suckled as my fingers worked her over. Her hips were moving, taking my fingers as deep inside her as they could go. I curled my fingers deep inside her at the same time as I sucked her clit into my mouth and began to hum and she lost it. Her hips arched toward me as she sobbed out my name as her pussy tightened around me. I'd never seen anything more beautiful than my girl lost in the pleasure that I brought her.

I licked her lightly as she came down, sliding my fingers out of her. Her eyes opened and I kissed her pussy once before moving up to kiss her stomach. Her hands found my hair and she pulled me up toward her and kissed me, her tongue licking my lips and tasting herself on me. So hot. I kissed her back as she pushed away from the bed, rolling us over.

Bella pulled away and straddled me, smiling down at me as her hands dragged down my chest and hit my waistband. She flicked open the button to my jeans and unzipped them. She looked so sexy straddling me. I reached up and cupped her breasts in my hands. She thrust her hips against me, arching them into my palms. Her hands joined mine and she helped me squeeze her. Infuckingcredible.

She released my hands and moved off me, tugging at my jeans. I reached down to help her, lifting my hips off the bed. She brought my boxers down along with my pants, so my cock sprang free as she hit my thighs. Her eyes widened and she smiled. "Very nice." I wasn't sure how to react to my cock being called very nice but I supposed there were worse things to call it.

"Thanks," I told her. She pulled my jeans and boxers all the way off and crawled back up my body. She kissed me, her hair tickling my shoulders as her lips moved against mine. I was lost in her, so lost that I didn't even notice that she'd moved until I felt her hand on my cock. I moaned as she squeezed me once before running her finger over the head.

Bella broke our kiss and sat down on the bed, between my legs, her eyes on my cock. She was looking at it like it was something to eat, which wasn't anything I would object to. She met my eyes, a mischievous smile on her face as she reached between her legs and touched herself. Fuck, that was hot. I wondered if I could convince her to take out that little blue car of hers today, to show me how it worked.

She stopped touching herself, much to my disappointment, but then her hand was on me, running her wetness over my cock. I wasn't disappointed anymore. She moved her hand up and down my cock, getting it wet with her own come which was so fucking sexy. Her hand felt incredible as she applied harder pressure, squeezing me at my base, coming back up to the head and running her thumb over it. She began to pump me in earnest as I thrust into her hand.

Bella watched herself touching me with fascination, her tongue licking her lip. Was she? Would she? Then she did. She leaned forward and licked the head of my cock before dragging her tongue down the underside of my shaft. "Fuck!" I cried out. It felt so good. She smirked at me as she licked back up to the head and sucked it into her mouth.

Her tongue moved over my head, flicking it back and forth before she moved further down, taking me deeper into her mouth. Her tongue continued to move against the bottom of my cock, driving me insane. I wound my fingers into her hair and resisted the urge I had to thrust deeper. Her hands began to kneed my balls as she took me in deeper.

It was too much. I wanted the first time I came with her to be inside her. She took me almost all the way out of her mouth before sucking me back in. "God, Bella." Twinkling brown eyes smiled at me as she worked my cock with her mouth and squeezed my balls with her hand. "I want to be inside you," I choked out, against my better judgment. I did, though. I loved her sucking my cock but I wanted to feel her pussy wrapped around me.

She released me and kissed the head again, nearly causing me to come just from the look on her face. She moved back into my arms and I kissed her and rolled us over. She could ride me the next time. God, that would be hot. I rubbed my dick along her pussy, coating it with her wetness. Jesus. I couldn't wait to be inside her. I couldn't...fuck.

"Bella, do you have a condom?" Bella's dazed eyes opened and she shook her head. You've got to fucking be kidding me. Why the hell did I think of this? Oh yeah, because I was going to be good but then she was so sexy and I couldn't be without her any longer.

"Rose or Alice might," Bella said. She was rubbing against me and I was so fucking close. Wait a minute. Emmett packed for me. Odds were good that he'd included condoms. They were always on his list of necessities in life. "I'm on the pill, though," Bella told me. I looked at her and she bit her lip. "I mean, I'm clean and everything. I got tested after…" she broke off and I knew what she meant. I'd done the same thing after Irina and been tested again after Maggie even though that had been with protection.

Bella touched my cheek. "I mean, I get it if you don't want to take the chance, but I swear I'm on the pill. I can show you…" I silenced her with a kiss. I trusted her. Hell, I wanted to have shower sex with her and I really didn't see us using a condom in that situation, so why freak out about it now? I'd already given her my heart.

I kissed her lightly. "I trust you, Bella." I moved against her and she opened her legs wider. I was there, at her entrance. My eyes were on hers as I slowly pushed inside her. Christ, she felt even better than she had on my fingers. She was so tight. Her eyes fluttered as I slid halfway inside her. "Are you okay?" She nodded and I pushed in further. So wet, so fucking good. I entered her fully and she gripped me. Her legs came up and wrapped around my waist.

I kissed her again, harder this time, as I sort of rocked inside her, moving my hips just slightly. Her hands gripped my back and dug into me. I slid slowly out of her and then pushed back inside, harder this time. She thrust her hips up to meet me, her heels digging into my ass. Being inside her was beyond my wildest fantasies. Nothing was equal to this.

We moved together, gradually increasing our motion. She took me deep inside her. I kissed her lips, her cheeks, the tip of her nose, anywhere I could reach to show her how I was feeling. She smiled up at me and ran her fingers through my hair affectionately. Every touch, every movement felt incredible. Was this what it was like when you found the one? I could ask my dad, I supposed, but I didn't really want to think about that. Especially not now, when my girl was wrapped around me, when her sexy body was moving with mine.

Our pace increased, her legs were squeezing against me as I thrust deeper. My lips met hers again, our tongues moving in time with one another, just as our bodies were. Had I ever been more in tune with a woman before? She shifted a little, so I changed my angle slightly and she gasped. Oh yeah, that was it. I thrust again and her eyes rolled back in her head a little. Again. I reached between us and pressed my thumb to her clit.

Bella's head fell back, exposing her neck to me. I sucked on that long white column of throat as Bella shouted my name and came around me. Holy hell, that felt amazing. She was squeezing the hell out of my cock and it took everything I had not to come along with her. I wanted more. I thrust deep inside her again. Bella was moaning my name as I pistoned my cock into her with everything I had. She cried my name again and this time I lost it, coming deep inside her as she clamped around me.

I collapsed against her, trying to catch my breath as Bella held onto me tightly. I realized I might be crushing her so I tried to push up off her but she protested and held me against her. "No." I laughed and kissed her forehead.

"I don't want to smash you."

"I like it," she told me.

Of course she did, my sweet, sexy girl. I kissed her and rolled us over when she was distracted. I slid out of her and lay on my side looking at her as she pouted at me. She was too cute, so I kissed her again. She melted into me and I fell onto my back so I could hold her in my arms.

"That was amazing," I told her when we came up for air.

She smiled softly. "I know. It's never been like that for me before." I tried not to preen at that information but I must have failed because she giggled and slapped my chest. "I meant that connection." I got it, of course, but that didn't stop me from frowning. She laughed and snuggled into me. "The sex, too."

That was more like it. "I know what you mean." Should I tell her about the one, or would that scare her off? It was too early. Bella hummed and played with my hair while I stroked her back. I closed my eyes and just let myself feel her fingers moved over my scalp. It felt great.

I must have dozed off, because I started when I felt her start to pull away from me. "Don't leave," I murmured, opening my eyes.

She laughed. "I have to. I need to go to the bathroom. I waited as long as I could."

The bathroom. Oh yes. I smiled and sat up with her. "So do I."

Bella raised an eyebrow at me. "Um, I don't think we're quite to the going to the bathroom stage together."

Oh God, that was awesome. I laughed my ass off at the expression on her face. "What's so funny?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I meant, you should take a shower." She looked down at herself and frowned. "Er, we should take a shower," I clarified. Her face cleared and a smile bloomed.

"Yeah?"

I ran a hand over her stomach. "Oh yeah."

Her face was glowing. "Give me three minutes and come on in." Come was the operative word. I stayed in bed, watching her perfect ass as she disappeared into the bathroom. True to her word, a couple minutes later I heard the shower start and I pretty much jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. It was pathetic but at least nobody saw how anxious I was.

Bella was already in the shower, her sexy body obscured by the blue and green shower curtain. I pushed it aside and stepped inside, wrapping my arms around her waist as soon as I was there. She was already wet and I touched her incredible skin, following the water down her body, reaching between her legs where she was wet for another reason entirely.

I kissed the side of her neck and she rubbed her ass against my cock, which was already ready for round two thanks to the sight of my girl naked and wet before me. I fingered her, pushing her against the wall, the water hitting my back now. "Are you ready for me, baby?"

"Yes," she told me, grinding her pussy against my hand as I brushed my cock against her ass cheeks. She gasped and I fought not to laugh. I hadn't forgotten her email…hell, I would never forget that email until my dying day, but I wasn't going for that today. I loved that she made me laugh even now; when I was so turned on I could hardly see straight. I turned her around and kissed her. She grabbed my cock and started working it as I pushed her against the far wall. I lifted her up below her ass and she moaned as I got a good grip on her thighs.

One thrust and I was inside her. Bella's body pressed into the tile as I began to fuck her. As much as I wanted to take my time, I knew I wouldn't be able to hold her up like this forever. It didn't matter, though, because she reached between us and started fingering her clit for me while I fucked her hard. This was the fantasy, the hard, dirty fantasy that I'd described on the phone to her. Like making love to her, it felt even better.

Bella moaned and started to rub her clit faster. She was close. Thank God, because so was I. She threw her head back and shouted as she came. I fell with her this time, thrusting deep inside her and coming hard. I drove into her a few more times, emptying myself inside her.

My body felt like I'd been through one of Alec's training sessions, but it was totally worth it. I lowered Bella, not letting her go until her feet touched the bottom of the shower. She giggled and her smile was bright. "Wow."

I laughed. "Yeah, wow is right. I need to double my workouts again."

She laughed and kissed me, pushing me back into the water. It felt good on my aching body. "Well, just remember that cabin has a big old bathtub. You won't need to worry then." Hell yes. A bath with Bella. I couldn't wait.

"I can't wait," I told her, moaning as her fingers brushed through my hair.

"Bend," she told me. I opened my eyes and saw her reaching for the shampoo. I crouched as she massaged my scalp and soaped me up. It felt awesome. She rinsed my hair and then conditioned it the same way.

"My turn." She was so fucking gorgeous when she smiled like that. She let me steer her underneath the spray and smooth down her hair. I used her shampoo and she moaned just like she had when I was inside her as I worked her scalp. I willed my cock not to react. I needed some recovery time. I rinsed her hair and conditioned it as well. It was so soft and silky, not even tangling in my fingers as I combed them through. The water started to get cold so we soaped up and rinsed off. I wouldn't have minded soaping her up but I figured that would just start round three. We stepped out of the shower and dried one another off.

We went back into the bedroom and Bella pulled on her UW t-shirt and nothing else, much to my complete and utter joy. She smirked when she saw the smile on my face and I shrugged. I couldn't help it. That t-shirt was fucking sexy. I pulled on some boxers and we climbed back into bed.

"I think we need a real nap, much as I hate to sleep with you here," she told me.

I held her close. "We still have plenty of time, baby. I'm just happy to be with you, any way I can get you."

"This has been the best day ever," she murmured tiredly.

I tightened my hold on her and kissed her cheek. "It has. And we have more day left."

She smiled and burrowed into me. I stroked her hair and watched as she relaxed into my arms and fell asleep. What a day it had been. What a week we had ahead. What a life we had beyond that. "You're my one, Bella. You're stuck with me now," I whispered as I closed my eyes.

* * *


	25. Chapter 25

Waking up to Bella in my arms might be my favorite thing in the world…well, my favorite thing after kissing her, touching her, tasting her and making love to her that is. Her head was on my shoulder, her left leg was thrown over mine and her hand rested on my chest. I stroked her hair, and then continued my journey down her back. She hummed with pleasure and moved closer to me. I let my hand drop down to her ass on my next pass and she laughed sleepily.

"You have a one track mind," she told me, rolling back a little so she could see my face.

"Says she who started a dirty Scrabble game," I reminded her, not that she was likely to forget.

Bella giggled. "It's our thing."

How much did I love that we had a thing? "It is. I like it."

She grinned. "I like it too. How are your arms?"

I frowned and flexed them. "A little sore but totally worth it."

Bella smirked. "I'll say."

I kissed her lightly. "I think we should take another shower later."

Her eyes sparkled. "I thought you were sore."

I had her. "Maybe I just wanted a regular old shower, pervert."

She pouted. "Oh, okay, well…"

I laughed and rolled on top of her. "I was just kidding, baby." I nipped her chin. "I don't have to lift you up, you know."

Her hands moved up my back. "Oh, is that so?"

"Mmm, that's so. I was thinking you put your hands on the wall and I could take you from behind…" I trailed off suggestively as her eyes darkened. She licked her lips. She was so fucking sexy.

"I think that sounds very nice."

"Nice?" I asked. Not quite what I was going for there. She kept a perfectly straight face and nodded. I tickled her ribs and she wiggled underneath me, which coupled with the shower image only served to make me hard again.

"Adequate?" she managed to gasp between giggles.

"I'll show you adequate." My lips were on hers and my hands were tugging on her t-shirt. She moaned as I lifted it. I broke our kiss to toss it over her head. Her hands were pulling off my boxers as soon as she was released.

I was desperate for her. How in the hell did she do that to me so quickly? I entered her the moment I was freed from my boxers and she gasped. She was warm, wet and ready for me as I pounded into her.

"Adequate?" I grunted, swiveling my hips.

"Fair to middling?" she murmured. She was such a pain in the ass. A delightful pain in the ass. Speaking of which…I lifted her hips so I could sink deeper inside her and her gorgeous rump lifted off the bed. I smacked her left cheek lightly and watched as her mouth fell open in surprise. Shit. Had I gone too far? We'd talked about spanking and she'd said she wanted to try it, but maybe that had just been fantasy.

Her eyes burned into mine. "Bella, I…"

"Do it again," she interrupted. Holy shit. Okay. I swatted the other cheek and she let out a loud moan.

"Fuck," she cried, pistoning her hips up to mine. Damn she was gorgeous, lost in pleasure. "Again." I smacked her left cheek a little harder this time and she shouted my name as she came around me. I was right there with her. I probably could have come just watching her.

"Holy shit," she managed when she came down. I slid out of her and pulled her tight against my chest.

"Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?" I hadn't hit her hard, I would never do that. I ran my hands over her ass and she moaned.

"Of course I'm okay. You just surprised the hell out of me and then it felt so good with you inside me and…" she broke off and grinned at me. "It was better than adequate."

I laughed, relieved and kissed her hard. "You scared the hell out of me. I should cut you off."

She smirked. "I guess I'll be showering alone later then."

I think I whimpered. I know she laughed at the expression on my face. "Just kidding, baby. But I do think that if we're going to do that again, we need some fuel. Donuts are not going to cut it."

She was right on that front. I was starving. "I could eat."

She brushed my hair out of my eyes. "Well, I can cook or we can order in."

"Order. I don't want to make you cook for me."

She blushed. "Actually, I'd really like to, but today was grocery day and obviously I didn't get to the store."

I kissed her cheek. "You can cook for me another time, baby. I'd rather not let you go long enough for you to cook anyway." I really didn't want to stop touching her.

Bella smiled. "I can cook for you at the cabin. We'll need to bring food with us, right?"

Probably. I hadn't thought much about food. I wonder why. I grinned at her. "I was actually just going to buy a barrel of apples to take with us."

She giggled and smacked my chest. "You're incorrigible."

"And you like me that way," I reminded her, kissing her soundly.

"That I do," she managed after I released her. "Pizza work for you?"

"Yeah, I'm easy."

She laughed at that. "I know you are." I swatted her ass lightly again and she giggled helplessly. "What? Am I wrong?"

"I'm only easy for you, baby," I told her. It was nothing but the simple truth.

"Good, I like it that way," she told me with a cheeky grin.

"Me too, Bella. Very much so."

"Well, easy one, pencil me in for a shower later." She pushed up off me and walked to her dresser, opening it and pulling on a pair of sexy red panties. Was she trying to make me prove how easy I was already? I groaned and she grinned at me over her shoulder as she pulled on some red shorts, hiding her delectable little ass from me. She didn't bother with a bra but did pull on another t-shirt, this one saying Forks PD. Her Dad's shirt, I guessed.

I hauled myself out of bed and put on boxers, jeans and a t-shirt.

"What do you like on your pizza?" she asked as she picked up her cell phone.

I grabbed my wallet and phone. "Anything but peppers. And I prefer thin crust but I can eat whatever you like."

She grinned. "I'm with you on both those things. And no onions either. I want to kiss you."

I laughed and wrapped my arms around her waist. "You'd kiss me even with onion breath." I nibbled at her neck and she chuckled.

"Yeah, well, I'm easy for you, too. We're lucky like that." Yeah, we definitely were. I continued to kiss her neck as she phoned in the order. "I'd like a large supreme thin crust, extra cheese, no peppers or onions." I nibbled on her collarbone as she squirmed. "Okay, thanks." She gave her address and ended her call and scowled at me. "You're a distraction."

"You like it," I told her innocently. She huffed and pulled me into the living room, flipping on the TV and leading me over to the entertainment center.

"Want to watch another movie while we wait?"

"Sure," I told her, looking at her collection. I smirked when I saw all the Steele movies, along with the movie I'd done with Jane and all the rest. "You are a crazy stalker fan," I told her. She smacked my ass that time and I laughed and caught her before she stormed away. "Just kidding, baby."

"Humph. You should be honored. I help pay your salary." I snorted at that.

"I do appreciate that, sweetheart." And I did. I kissed the top of her head and studied her collection. "How about _Iron Man_?" She grinned and plucked it out of the shelf. I watched as she bent to put the movie in the DVD player. She really did have a great ass. I grabbed it and she swatted at my hands.

"So bad!" she told me as she danced away from me. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Got any beer?" I asked.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Hello, we're college girls. Of course we have beer."

I chuckled. "I stand corrected. Do you have any good beer?"

She rolled her eyes and stomped into the kitchen. "Will this work, Rich Boy?" she demanded, holding up a Heineken bottle.

"Yeah, that'll work," I told her, laughing. She opened my bottle and her own and came around to the couch. She sat and eyed me as I came over to sit by her. "I was just teasing, baby. I'd drink whatever beer you had."

She smiled and handed me my bottle. "I know, I just wanted to call you Rich Boy."

I smirked and pulled her close as the movie started. "That's cool, College Girl. I have my very own little co-ed."

Bella laughed. "It's not like I'm a Catholic school girl."

I grinned. "Oh, but you are in some of my fantasies." They were royally hot too.

She threw her leg over mine and I held my beer bottle to her knee. "That's cold! And you're a pervert."

"You like my pervertedness," I reminded her. "Speaking of perverts, we haven't heard from Emmett and Rose yet, have we?"

Bella shook her head. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and laughed. "Maybe we have." I had several missed text messages.

_Dude, she's killing me._

_If I die, I bequeath you my cars and my porn collection. Seriously, do not let Mom find my porn collection._

_Totally worth it if I go. I'm going to marry this girl._

I snickered and showed Bella what he'd sent. "Marriage?" she asked, choking on her beer. I whacked her back lightly.

"Oh yeah, Em's convinced that she's the one for him."

"Already? They just met."

I watched her closely. "So did we."

Bella's eyes widened and she gulped a little. Did she get what I was saying? I wasn't quite ready to tell her about our family history and _the one_ , but I wanted her to know that I wasn't thinking short term either. "Yeah, but we've been talking for awhile now."

"Sometimes time's not a factor. There's just a thing there. I feel like we have it, even if I can't describe it."

Bella smiled and she touched my cheek. "I know what you mean. It scares me a little because I've never felt this strongly this fast before. Can it really be real, you know?"

"It feels pretty darn real to me," I told her.

"Me too," she whispered. I bent and kissed her softly, trying to show her where my heart was. I didn't want to scare her. That was the last thing I ever wanted to do.

She closed her eyes and moaned softly. She was so beautiful that I couldn't stand not to look at her. I caressed her cheek while I kissed her. She opened her eyes back up and the smile I saw there made me relax. We had a lot to talk about and figure out while we were at the cabin, but I was in for the long haul and it felt like she was as well.

"You're stuck with me, Bella," I informed her when we finally stopped kissing.

"You won't hear me complaining," she replied, resting her head on my shoulder.

On screen, Iron Man was in his garage full of kickass cars. Bella giggled. "Does your garage look like that?"

I grinned. "If Emmett had his way it would, but no. Nothing as cool as that."

"I'm afraid it's all wasted on me. I was too scared to admit it last night but I don't even know what a Venom is," she told me.

I laughed my ass off. "That's okay, baby, we'll work on your car knowledge when you come to visit."

She smiled up at me. "Yeah? You want me to come visit?"

Obviously. "Of course I do." It seemed it was time to talk a little about my schedule. "After your Spring Break, I've got about two weeks before I head to Berlin to start filming Steele. I'll be there for two or three months." Her face fell a little and I touched her chin. "I was kind of hoping that maybe you'd be able to come visit me sometime after school ends? I know you said you might go to work for your father but maybe you could squeeze out a couple of weeks?"

Her face lit up. "Really? You want me to come to Europe with you?"

Silly girl. "Baby, I want you with me always. Obviously with you in school, we can't do that, but I'll be with you as often as is humanly possible. If you could come for the whole summer I'd be on cloud nine."

Bella looked dazed. "Me? In Europe? I don't know if I could afford…"

I cut that off right away. "Bella, you'd be coming to see me so the trip would be on me."

She scowled at me. "I didn't pay for your trip up here, or the cabin." Okay, maybe that was a valid point but I didn't care.

"Emmett paid for my trip up here and no, you're not paying for the cabin." I touched her cheek. "As you so aptly pointed out, I'm rich. You're in college. I have money, you don't. I'll be paying for the big things. Please let me. You coming to visit would make me happy. Don't you want to make me happy?" I batted my lashes at her and flashed my most persuasive smile.

She smirked. "Is that look supposed to work?"

I laughed. "Yes, it is. Are you saying it didn't?"

"No," she sighed. There was a knock on the door and she grinned at me. "But I'm paying for the pizza!" She was up before I could protest. Well, if her springing for pizza would make her cool with me paying for trips and cabins, I could deal.

"Mike? What are you doing here?" The door was out of sight so I couldn't see who this Mike was but something in her tone had me sitting up.

"I was visiting one of our brothers who works at Antonio's when your order came in. I told him I'd bring it."

"Oh. Well that was nice of you. Thanks." Bella's tone was flat. Who was this guy? I stood and tried to figure out a way to go see without giving my identity away. The last thing we needed was paps interrupting our last night together.

"I already paid for it." What the fuck? Why was this guy buying my girl pizza?

"Mike, that's really not necessary."

"I wanted to. Hey, listen, I heard you went out with Colin last night. Did, uh…I mean are you…" he stammered like an idiot. He wanted my girl. This was not acceptable. I darted into her room and grabbed my hat out of my bag. I'd worn it when we made stops for gas and food on the way up. I pulled it low over my eyes and headed back into the living room.

"I'm not with Colin but I…"

"Hey, baby, is the pizza here?" I shouted loudly as I walked into the hallway. I kept my head down and walked up behind her. I couldn't see the guy's face but he was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt and dirty sneakers.

"Uh, yeah," Bella replied, leaning into me as I wrapped my arms around her waist. I kissed her neck and kept my head against her shoulder.

"Good, I'm starving." The way I said it made it clear that I wasn't just talking about pizza.

"Right. Well, thanks Mike. Are you sure we don't owe you anything?"

"I…no, it's already paid for I mean and…"

I held out a twenty. "Thanks, man."

"Uh, yeah." He took it from me and backed away. "I'll just leave you to it then. Bye, Bella."

"Bye, Mike." She pushed me back so she could close the door and then whirled around. "What was that about?"

I whipped my hat off and threw it on the bar. "Who was that guy?" Jesus, how many guys on this campus were after my girl? And she was worried about me in Hollywood? I had more competition than she did it seemed.

Bella rolled her eyes. "That was Mike Newton."

She went into the kitchen to get plates and I carried the pizza box over to the coffee table. "And who is Mike Newton?"

She sighed and handed me a plate and a napkin. "He's Tyler's old roommate."

"And he's into you?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

She shrugged. "Yeah. He's tried to ask me out a few times but I always change the subject before he can get it out." Then she smirked. "He followed us into the movie theater when we went to see _Wild at Heart_ and sat next to me. He fell asleep."

"Oh yeah?" I asked as I opened the pizza box and pulled out a slice for her and then for me. "And what did you do?" Yes, I was jealous, I admitted it. I hated watching my own movies but I'd damn well take her to the theater to see them and fend off the Mike Newton's of the world.

Bella giggled. "We snuck out of the theater after the movie was over and left him sleeping in there."

I laughed appreciatively. That was my girl. "So he's a frat guy?" I sneered when I said it and Bella laughed again.

"Yes. He's in the same frat as Tyler and Colin were."

"Incestuous little bunch, aren't they? Going after one another's girls?"

Bella put her hand on my knee. "I'm your girl."

That's right, she was and it made me feel a bit better. "I really hated that I couldn't introduce myself," I admitted to her.

"I know," she told me, patting my leg. "But it's too early and you have to talk to your people before we tell the Mike Newton's of the world."

Mike Newton. Fuck him. "Will he leave you alone, do you think?" I could hire a bodyguard for her, but she really didn't need one at this point. I'd be doing it for me because I was a jealous idiot.

"Mike's harmless, Edward. He's persistent but you put on quite a show for him. I doubt he'll ask me out anytime soon."

I growled. "That better be never."

Bella laughed. "You really are cute when you're jealous. You have nothing to worry about, least of all Mike Newton. If anybody has to worry…"

"You don't," I interrupted. I put our plates on the table and took her hands in mine. Warm brown eyes peered up at me. "I'm yours, Bella. Heart and soul. I know it's fast but it's right."

Her eyes filled with tears and she tugged her hands away from mine before throwing her arms around me. I hugged her to me tightly. I never wanted to let go. Tomorrow was really going to suck. I had to keep reminding myself that I'd have her back in my arms four days later. Four interminably long days.

"A part of me is so afraid to let you go tomorrow, that you won't come back or that it will have all been a dream," she confessed.

I held her. "No, Bella. It's as real as it gets. And I'll hate leaving, but I'll be back in four days. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried."

She pulled back and looked at me with watery eyes. "I'd never try."

"You better not, or I'll turn into the stalker." That made her laugh, like I hoped it would. "No tears, baby." I captured a tear that escaped with my thumb. "We're going to have nine whole days together and then hopefully a nice long time in Europe."

Bella blew out a breath. "I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do to my dad."

I grinned. "If he wants to be your chaperone…well, I was going to say he was welcome to come but I really don't think I'd like having to sneak you into my room."

She laughed. "Yeah, that wouldn't be good. He does carry a gun you know."

I smirked. "He couldn't bring it on the plane."

She nodded. "True. But I think he'll let me go. It'll just take a lot of explaining on my part."

"Well, if you need me to talk to him, I will."

Bella snickered. "Yeah? What would you say? I swear not to sex up your daughter all over the continent?"

I tickled her. "I don't make promises I can't keep. But I do give good parent." I smiled winningly and she laughed some more.

"I just bet you do, to female parents."

"Hey, I bet your dad has seen a Steele movie or two," I objected.

Bella nodded. "Actually he has. You might be okay after all."

I had to admit I was a little nervous to meet her dad, but I was also kind of excited too. It would only make things more official to meet him. "I will. And so will you. My mom's already anxious to meet you."

Bella bit her lip. "As scared as you two are of her, I'm a little nervous about that one."

I pulled her onto my lap. "My mom already adores you because you make me happy."

Bella bent and grabbed us both another piece of pizza and put it on her plate. She was sideways on my lap so I was able to grab it easily. "Did she like Irina?" How funny was it that the way she said Irina made her face scrunch up like she'd smelled something bad?

"She tolerated her but I don't think she actually liked her too much. She hates her now."

Bella laughed. "Join the club."

"I know," I told her with a smile. "You really do have nothing to worry about. We'll figure out parental meetings at some point. First we have our trip to enjoy." She flashed me a wicked smile but blushed at the same time. My pervy yet somehow still innocent girl. I loved it

"What about your dad?" she asked, biting her pizza. I tried not to focus on her lips but I totally failed. They were perfect and I wanted to bite them.

"My dad gets along with everyone," I told her. "He's very easy going and he kind of lets Mom take the lead when it comes to social stuff. He just goes with the flow."

"That's nice," Bella responded. I didn't bother to ask about meeting her mom. I had a feeling I knew how she'd respond to that and it was fine with me. The woman didn't make time for her incredible daughter so I saw no reason for us to make time for her.

"They'll both love you," I assured her. Just like I…oh shit. Too soon.

She smiled. "I hope so."

"Never doubt it, baby." She finished her slice and rested her head against my shoulder. I finished mine and put the plate aside on the end table next to me so I could hold her closer.

"We managed to miss most of the movie," she noticed.

"I'd rather watch you any day," I told her, which made her blush. Well, since I already had her blushing, maybe I could broach something else I wanted to watch. "I really liked watching you touch yourself earlier."

She bit her lip and eyed me. "I noticed."

"I was wondering if maybe I could watch you do it again."

Her eyes widened and her cheeks got darker. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" I asked, pouting at her.

She laughed. "Only if you return the favor."

That was a surprise. And eminently doable. "You want to watch me touch myself?"

She nodded. "Yes. Using my lotion. It's scented though."

I laughed. "I was thinking of buying some of that brand for when I wasn't around you, since you smell so good."

Bella giggled. "Really? You don't have to buy it. I have another bottle."

I grinned and hugged her. "You'd give me a bottle of your lotion?"

"Of course! It's so hot when you tell me about touching yourself."

Her cheeks were pleasantly flushed. I touched the left one. "If I use the lotion, will you use your car?"

She gasped. "Yes."

"Now?" I asked, suddenly needing to get back into her bedroom.

"Now," she agreed. I was standing with her in my arms a second later. She laughed. "Anxious, are we?"

"Hell yes! I've been dying to see your toy." I carried her into the bedroom and dropped her on the bed. She laughed at me as I bent over her and started pulling off her shorts.

"You're crazy," she told me, taking off her shirt. Her sexy panties looked gorgeous on her pale skin but I was too anxious to see the show to admire her for long. I tugged them off too before pulling off my jeans, boxers and shirt. Bella reached into her nightstand and came out with the car.

It was just as she'd said, a blue plastic car that had two wires coming from the back of it that attached to good sized bullets. I watched in fascination as she laughed at me. "Go get the lotion, Edward. I'm not doing anything until you are."

I ran into the bathroom and grabbed the lotion before reappearing a second later. Bella was laughing at me. She was so damn sexy, lying on her bed naked and holding a sex toy. It was yet another dream come true. I vaulted over her and landed on the bed next to her. She was laughing her ass off. "I can't believe how excited you are," she told me.

"You've been taunting me with that car for weeks now," I reminded her. "Now show me how it works."

She laughed and handed me the car. "The two back wheels rotate. One for each bullet." I turned the right back wheel and the buzzing began. I watched in fascination as the bullet bounced around on the bed.

"That's pretty powerful." I picked it up and closed my hand around it. Fuck. No wonder she loved this thing. I turned on the left one and it zipped around too.

"I know," Bella said with a little grin.

"So, do you start it on low or just go to town?" I asked.

"Just go to town, usually. Why waste time? I know what works for me."

She was so fucking sexy. There were no words. I turned the wheels and the buzzing ceased. "Will you show me?" I asked her.

She took the car back from me and spread her legs wide. That was a beautiful sight in and of itself but when she took one of the bullets and ran it against her clit, getting it wet before slowly pushing it inside I nearly came on the spot. She took the other bullet and placed it on her clit. She didn't look down to do this; she kept her eyes on me. So hot.

"Well?" she asked me.

I shook my head and tried to focus. "Well what?"

"Your turn," she told me.

My turn? Oh, yeah. I was supposed to be doing something, like I could even concentrate right now. I grabbed the bottle of lotion and squirted some into my hand. I was immediately assaulted with that delicious Bella smell. Yeah, I needed a bottle or seven of this stuff. Bella was watching me and it was seriously so sexy that I was afraid I'd blow my load at first touch.

"Ready?" I asked her.

She licked her lips. "Yes, I'm ready." I put my hand on my cock and she put her fingers on the wheels. "Go," she told me, turning them all the way. I fisted my cock and began pumping myself as I watched her. Her eyes were on my hand, watching me work myself. I watched as her right hand drifted down her body. She grabbed the bullet that was on her clit and pushed it against herself harder.

She convulsed a little and I moved my hand faster. It wasn't going to take me long but it looked like she'd come first. She was moaning and pushing her pussy up toward the bullet.

"Edward, I'm going to come," she choked out.

"Go ahead, baby. I'm right behind you." My balls were tingling and my body was tensing. She let herself go, her head falling back onto the pillow, a loud cry escaping her as she shuddered. She was truly the most exquisite thing I'd ever seen. I erupted, coming on her leg and stomach. Holy shit. How did it get more and more intense with her? She hadn't even been touching me, but God, the show she'd put on.

"I'm sorry," I told her when I came back into my right mind. I grabbed some tissue off her nightstand and tried to clean her off. She just laughed.

"What are you sorry for? That was so hot. Plus, now we have a reason to shower in a bit."

She was perfection. I bent down to kiss her hard. "I adore you," I told her when we broke apart.

Bella grinned up at me. "I like that. The feeling is mutual." She put her toy on her nightstand.

"I think that's my new favorite car," I told her.

She giggled and snuggled into my arms. "I had a feeling you'd like it."

"Like is an understatement. I need you to point me to the company. I'll buy enough to last you a lifetime."

Bella laughed and kissed my shoulder. "Forget jewelry, sex toys are a way to a girl's heart."

"I'll give you both, baby."

She shook her head. "I don't need either. I just need you."

"You'll have me, too." That was an easy promise to make.

"I better," she told me.

"Never doubt it." I kissed her again and then again and again. Long, slow, drugging kisses. I moved my hands slowly up and down her stomach. As much as I wanted her, and I did, I could also just kiss her for hours. One of her hands tangled in my hair and the other stroked my back. I got lost in her and never wanted to be found. I'd just stay here, kissing and touching Bella.

She sighed against my lips and I pulled back. "What?"

"Are you sure you have to go back to California?"

I laughed. We were always on the same wavelength. "I was just wishing that I could stay here forever." One day I would. I swore it.

She smiled. "I'm trying not to be too greedy but I just can't get enough of you."

I kissed her nose. "Greed is good," I told her in my best Michael Douglas impersonation.

She giggled. "I don't think I could ever get bored with you."

"Damn right you couldn't, woman! I can entertain you in every way." I nibbled on her neck as she laughed below me.

"Yes, I suppose when you lose your looks and your sexy body, at least you'll still be able to make me laugh."

I pushed up off her and glared down at her. "And when, exactly, do you think I'll be losing my looks and my sexy body?"

She bit her lip and studied me. "Hmm, ten years?" I poked her belly and she laughed. "Twenty?" I tickled her and she shrieked. "Thirty!"

"I'd only be fifty-five then," I pointed out. "I'll still be hot. Like Paul Newman or Robert Redford were."

She giggled. "Okay, maybe forty years. Fifty tops. But if you lose the hair before then, I'll be forced to dump your old self."

"You wait and see. I'll be a dirty, hot old man. You won't be able to get enough of me."

"Pinching nurses' butts in the retirement home, leaving your dentures in glasses of water…" she screeched as I tickled her again. All that laughter was doing interesting things to my body and I was getting hard again.

"The only butt I'm going to pinch is yours," I mock growled. She yelped as I did just that.

"Alright, alright, truce! You'll always be hot!" she told me.

"Damn right I will." I stopped tickling her and slid my fingers between her legs. "You're so wet, baby."

Her cheeks flushed and she moved against my hand. "You make me that way."

"Want to get wetter?" I asked.

She smiled wickedly. "Oh, yeah." I got up and pulled her to her feet, holding her hand as we went into the bathroom. I started the shower and waited until the water was nice and warm before steering her inside. "You have a real thing for this shower," she told me as I rubbed myself against her ass from behind.

"I have a real thing for you," I replied. "I just happen to like you best when you're wet."

She groaned and tilted her head as I began to kiss her neck, licking beads of hot water from her skin. "Well, that's good because I'm always wet around you."

I pushed two fingers inside her. "You sure are." She moaned and dropped her head back against my chest. I slid my fingers in and out of her and all of a sudden I felt her hand against my cock. "Fuck, baby, that feels so good."

She looked over her shoulder and smiled at me before stepping away and placing her hands against the tile. Her eyes challenged me to come to her and I was helpless to resist. She lifted a leg and placed it against the wall as well; giving me all the space I needed to push inside her. I had to bend my legs a bit and it wasn't the most comfortable feeling but being inside her made me forget all about comfort. I was where I belonged.

I began to move in and out of her, reaching around to play with her clit as I thrust inside her. She moaned and called my name. She was still incredibly sensitive from her toy, I guess, or maybe from me, who knew, but she was slick and hot and she felt so good on my cock. She pushed her ass back toward me and I slid deeper.

I pushed her wet hair out of the way and kissed the back of her neck as I thrust in and out of her. I moved my way up to her ear, nibbling. "You're so sexy, Bella. You just don't know what it does to me see you like this, wet and open for me." She moaned at my words and I sped up my fingers and my cock. "Every single night I dreamed about touching you just like this, feeling you around me. You're so much better than the dream, baby."

"Edward, God, yes, keep talking," she gasped.

Trust my girl to love dirty talk. "I can't wait until next weekend, baby. I'm going to have you naked as often as possible and it'll be my goal to make you come at least five times a day." She moaned. "Maybe more than that. Eight? Ten? However much you want, Bella. I'll make you come with my fingers and my tongue and my cock. Do you want that, baby?"

"Yes!" she shouted as I pounded into her harder.

"I'm going to fuck you in the hot tub, and over the pool table and in the bath tub, because I know how much you like to be wet, Bella." Christ she was so wet and tight and she was starting to pulse around me. I knew it wouldn't be long. "I'm going to make love to you in front of the fire. I'll worship you all night long. Do you want that, baby?"

"Uh huh," she managed to gasp. My hips were slapping against her ass, the water making it sound even louder to my ears.

"You know what else I'm going to do, Bella?" She shook her head. I nipped at her jaw and answered her. "I'm going to spank you again, because you like that, don't you naughty girl?"

That did it. She screamed, "Fuck!" and came hard around me, her hand slapping against the tile, her perfect ass pushed against me. I held on to her waist and thrust into her over and over again, bringing on my own orgasm quickly after hers. I came deep inside her, holding her shuddering body to mine as I thrust a few more times until I was empty. I slid out of her and turned her around.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and just pressed her body to mine in a hug. I wasn't sure if her legs were holding her completely but I held her up. "It just gets better, doesn't it?"

I laughed. "Too much better might kill us but it'd be a hell of a way to go," I told her.

She grinned up at me and I had to kiss her. "Let's live awhile longer. I'm not remotely done with you, Cullen. You made a lot of promises there a couple of minutes ago and I'm going to see that you keep them."

I kissed her nose and then each cheek. "I always keep my promises, Bella."

"I'll hold you to that." She could hold me to anything, everything. I wanted it all with her. That was one promise I was making to myself and one day, when we were both ready, I'd make to her.

* * *


	26. Chapter 26

After all the sex and two showers, we decided it would be best if we didn't do much more physically for the rest of the night. We had a whole week coming up and God knew I'd need my strength to live through that. Plus, it really wasn't just about sex for me anymore; it never really had been once we'd started to get to know one another. Bella was too special to have a fling with. She was better than that and she was absolutely meant for me.

So we ate cold pizza and cuddled on the couch watching some TV movie that was ridiculous and stupid, but it made us laugh which was what it was all about really.

Bella was giggling as she turned to me. "Would your life end if you were unable to see me for the weekend?"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "First of all, it was the girl that said that, not the guy. Second of all, depends on what weekend. Next weekend when we're heading to the cabin? Hell yes I'd die."

She snickered. "Well I guess you better not get in trouble when you go home."

I tickled her side. "I never get in trouble. It's always Emmett. And though Mom is scary, I'd totally be willing to face her wrath to get to you."

"Ooooooh, you'd sneak away anyway? You're such a rebel."

I smirked. "What do you know about being a rebel, Police Chief's daughter?"

Bella glared at me. "A lot, actually. I had to do plenty of sneaking because I _was_ the Police Chief's daughter."

"Oh yeah? Did you sneak any guys into the house?"

Her eyes widened and she actually looked around like her father was lurking waiting to catch her in the act. It was the cutest thing ever and I roared with laughter. She smacked my arm. "No, I did not sneak guys in. No guy was that daring."

Good. I liked that. I nibbled on her neck and she melted against me. "I would be that daring, Bella. You could sneak me in anytime."

She moaned and ran her fingers through my hair. "Well, we've just established that you're a rebel, so it's nice that you'd go against the norm."

"Anything for you," I told her and she tugged my lips up to hers. I kissed her back and tightened my arms around her. I could seriously kiss her for days if our bodies would allow for it. Of course, my dick had other ideas and Bella moaned and shifted against me as she felt evidence of my arousal against her leg.

"Jesus, you two, you had all day and you're still going at it?" A voice caused us to break apart although I hadn't released my hold on her. I glanced over and saw Alice scowling at us, though she didn't actually look pissed off thankfully.

Bella giggled. "What would you be doing if you were me?"

Alice's scowl turned into a grin. "Good point. I would say carry on but I really need to eat something, so if you want to carry on, go back in your bedroom."

I smiled at her. "No, that's okay, we're taking a break."

"It doesn't look like you're overly successful," she pointed out as she walked past us and started rummaging through the refrigerator. "Pizza! Can I have some?"

"Of course," Bella and I both responded at the same time.

Alice shook her head at us. "That was weird, but thank you both."

Bella laughed. "You'll never guess who delivered it to us."

Alice put a plate in the microwave. "I don't know. Emmett? Have you turned him into a millionaire delivery guy?"

I laughed at the image of my brother in a pizza boy get up. "Not quite," Bella responded. "It was Mike." I bit back a growl.

"Mike Newton?" she asked, her voice filled with disbelief as she got her plate out of the microwave. She came around the bar and sat in the recliner, staring at us. "Does he work at Antonio's now?"

Bella shook her head. "No, one of the freshmen does or something and he was there when my call came in so he brought it to me. He tried to pay for it and everything."

Alice laughed. "Oh that's rich! What did you do?" she asked, her eyes on me.

"I loudly demanded to know if our food was here and I may have put on a hat to disguise myself and kissed her neck in front of him," I told her.

Alice was laughing harder now. "That's great! I bet he just about died. He finally thought he was going to get some alone time with Bella only to have Edward fucking Cullen there marking his territory like a dog. Fabulous!"

Bella sighed. "He didn't see that it was Edward, not that that matters. Hopefully he got the hint."

Alice shook her head. "You better hope so!"

"He better hope so," I muttered. "What's his deal anyway? How long has he had a crush on you?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know."

Alice snorted. "Try since day one. Even though his best friend was dating her, he'd always find reasons to talk to her. He walked in on her changing more than once and it was always an accident." She laughed. "Right, like any of us believed that." I couldn't stop the spurt of anger at the idea of him seeing my girl naked.

Bella shifted in my arms. "Remember me asking you about getting rid of a stalker?" I vaguely remembered that so I nodded. "That was referring to him. He really upped his game lately, asking me out and telling me not to say no, to give him a chance." She made a face. I wanted to make one too, or better yet, make Mike make one when I hit him and told him to stay away from my girl.

"Well, we both know I have a hard time getting rid of stalkers," I told her, trying to keep my tone light. Bella poked me and I laughed. "For real, though, if he's a problem I'll happily do something. Maybe we could send Emmett after him." That wouldn't be too satisfying for me though, but if it got the message across, I was all for it.

Bella stroked my cheek. "Don't even worry about him, Edward. I think you sent him a pretty clear message today and if you didn't, well, I'll make it clear next time instead of running away from him."

I frowned. "You'd think running away from him would be enough of a hint."

"You would, wouldn't you?" Alice asked. "He's just one of those doesn't take no for an answer type of guys."

I really didn't like the sound of that. "Baby, that kind of guy can be dangerous. Maybe I should get you…"

Bella cut me off with a kiss. "He's harmless, Edward. He's persistent but not dangerous."

"It's true," Alice piped up. "He couldn't hurt a fly and he would never try anything out of fear of Rose anyway."

Thank God for Rose and her ability to instill fear in all men. What on earth was my brother thinking? Of course he'd like the challenge she presented.

Bella rested her head on my shoulder and turned to Alice. "So did you talk to Jasper?"

She screwed up her face. "Sort of. He texted me to say that he was doing some family thing but he was hoping we could talk tonight." She glanced at the clock. "I should hear from him in about an hour."

"Do you know what you're going to say?" Bella asked.

"Not really. I just need to hear what he has to say and go from there." Alice shrugged. "It's not like we can be anything more than friends anyway. He's in high school and he's in Texas. Two big strikes right there."

I hugged Bella to me. "I don't know. I think the distance thing can be worked with and age is nothing but a number, right?"

Alice laughed. "The distance thing can work for you because you're a millionaire who can afford to come see Bella whenever you have the urge. And seventeen is a shitty number."

"Seventeen is actually my favorite number," I supplied. "Maybe it's a good sign."

Alice shook her head. "Go figure, I do get something right, but it's completely the wrong thing."

"Why is seventeen your favorite number?" Bella asked. "I don't think you've ever said."

I chuckled. "I have, but never in context. Seventeen is when I filled out, grew up and got more confident in myself. It's the year I became the Edward that the public sees."

Bella smiled and lifted her head from my shoulder to give me a soft kiss. "I like that Edward, but I would have liked the geeky Edward too."

I kissed her again. "I'm glad to hear that. I would have been scared to death of you if you'd approached me with all your sexy innuendo back then."

Bella laughed. "I can just picture you running away screaming, or rejecting my request to play with you."

"I would never reject any of your requests to play with me," I told her, tickling her sides.

Alice groaned. "You two are killing me."

Bella sat up and straightened her t-shirt. "Sorry, Alice."

"Yeah, sorry," I echoed, though it wasn't true.

She laughed. "It's okay. I'm honestly glad to see Bella so happy. I don't think I've ever seen her like this before."

"Ever?" I asked, smiling over at her.

"Nah. She never had that glow with Tyler. They got along and all but giddy happiness? Not that I recall."

Bella smiled. "I told you it's never been like this for me before."

Yeah, she had. It made me very happy. "Me either, baby." She was the first girl I'd truly loved and she'd be the last and only.

"Okay, you two are going to make me nauseous and my stomach is already fluttering with nerves over this Jasper thing." She stood and carried her plate into the kitchen. "I think I'm going to go to my room and give you two more time to…" she broke off as the front door opened with a bang and Rose came barreling into the room.

"Don't you dare follow me, Cullen!" she shouted. "You're not invited in." Her face was red with anger and she was breathing heavily. Holy crap, what did my brother do now?

"I'm not a vampire, so I hardly think that's going to stop me," he replied as he stormed in after her. He stopped in the living room and glared at her. "What is your problem anyway? I did what I had to do to keep you from getting arrested!"

Arrested? What the hell had those two been up to?

"Maybe I wanted to get arrested!" she shouted. Well, now, how did that make any sense? Bella glanced at me and I shrugged. Like I had any clue?

"Why would you want to get arrested?" he demanded. "I've been arrested and I can tell you that it's not much fun."

"Well you keep on getting arrested so you must get some jollies out of it!" she yelled again. "I could have ended that bitch with one punch."

Emmett groaned. "She was a cop, Rosie. I doubt you could have taken her with one punch and even if you could, you'd get in a shitload of trouble for assaulting an officer. Even I have never done that one." Assaulting a police officer? Holy shit.

"Stop calling me Rosie! She deserved to get punched after the way she was ogling you like I wasn't there and hadn't been half naked when she walked up! Did she think I just rode around topless all the damn time? She was hitting on you right in front of me and you just let her!" She narrowed her eyes and walked over to him, jabbing him in the chest with one finger. "If you're harboring some stupid thoughts of a threesome and handcuffs, you better get that idea out of your thick skull right now!"

How'd she know about Emmett's wishes for a threesome? Then again, he'd probably told her because he was a dumbass like that.

"Excuse me!" Alice shouted, causing both Rose and Emmett to turn and look at her. "Not that we're not enjoying the show, but could you please fill in the blanks so we know what in the hell is going on? It's like we're walking into the middle of a movie and missed all the good parts. Do tell!"

I wanted to applaud Alice but I also thought maybe I should protect her from the two pairs of heated glares that were now directed her way. "Seriously, you two, perhaps you could stop yelling and tell us what happened so we can tell you who's right and who's wrong." Bella and Alice laughed at my comment but Rose and Emmett not so much.

"Bros before…" he broke off when Rose's hand whacked him upside the head. "Beautiful women, bro," he finished, altering his initial comment no doubt as he rubbed at the back of his head.

"Depends on what you did," I told him. After all, we were outnumbered and I didn't want Rose pissed at me.

"What I did was bring your whining ass up here to fix things with your girl. You owe me, remember?" Emmett demanded. Damn it, he was right. I was going to have to side with him and piss Rose and possibly Bella off.

"Alright, yes you did and I can't thank you enough." He looked slightly mollified by that. "Why don't you explain to us what happened?"

"Okay." He dropped down on the couch next to us and Rose sat on the arm of Alice's recliner, just out of his reach. "We drove all over the place and I let Rosie have a turn." He broke off and smiled in admiration. "She definitely knows how to handle a stick." I didn't know if he was referring to his dick or the car but I assumed the latter. Maybe. Maybe not. Who knew with these two?

"Damn right I do," she inserted, glaring at him. "I drive it better than you do."

"Please, Rosie, let's not be silly." He leaned over and patted her knee while she smacked at his hand. "Everything was going fine and dandy for quite awhile. We talked and had lunch and dinner between treks around Washington. Seriously, dude, we've been all over this state I think."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Just the northwestern part, exaggerator."

"Whatever. We get to this park and we decided to chill there, got out, walked and talked a bit before heading back to the car because the park closes after dark or something lame. Anyway, we get to the car and I make my move."

"Ha!" she shouted. "I made the move."

"So you admit you want me," he replied, smiling smugly.

Rose opened her mouth and shut it. He had her. "I was bored," she replied. "All that driving made me horny. You just happened to be right there."

Bella started laughing and Rose glared at her. I tightened my arms around her protectively. "Shut it."

"Anyway, Rose attacks me and I'm receptive to the idea, so we're making out in my car. Shirts come off and I'm going for the gold when there's a knock on my window. I roll it down and there's this policewoman standing there. She tells us that we have to leave the park. I wasn't about to argue with the law so I told her we'd go."

"Ha!" Rose shouted. "She was running her eyes up and down his bare chest and he was grinning at her and talking about how easy it was to get carried away and surely she'd understand because she was a sexy woman herself. It was disgusting and it pissed me right off!"

"Rosie, I was trying to appease the officer so she didn't arrest you for public indecency!"

"Me? You were just as shirtless as I was."

"But I'm allowed to be shirtless, I'm a dude. Your perfect tits were right there and I knew she'd have a complex about them. You know how women get when they're jealous," he turned to me to appeal his case and I shook my head. Hell no, I may owe him but I wasn't getting dragged into that one.

"Traitor," he told me.

"Don't think your flattery is going to get you a view of them anytime soon," Rose replied with a sniff, crossing her arms over said breasts while my brother pouted.

"Anyway, everything was going swimmingly and she was totally going to let us leave without a problem when Thorny here decides to let loose with a tirade over her checking me out."

"She was practically molesting you, Emmett!" Rose stood up and began pacing around the room. "She didn't once meet your eyes, she kept touching your fucking bicep, commenting on your tattoos and how hot your car was…it was beyond inappropriate!"

"And telling her that if she didn't stop touching me you'd shove her baton up her ass wasn't inappropriate? You threatened a police officer Rose," he replied calmly.

"Damn right I did. She was touching what was mine." Her eyes widened and she clapped her hands over her mouth when she realized what she said.

Suddenly Emmett didn't look so irritated. He lit right up. "So, I'm yours, am I?" Rose shook her head and he touched her leg again. "Don't worry, baby, I am yours. You don't have to worry about models or actresses or hot police chicks."

She smacked his hand away again. "I'm not worried about anything! And I'm not worried about some damn policewoman either. I could have taken her."

"Of course you could, Rosie," he cooed. She kicked at him and he sat back. "Anyway, after Rose went off on her, I was forced to turn on the old Cullen charm, which of course worked perfectly, which pissed Rosie right off."

"She gave you her number and told you to give her a call when you'd ditched me and you took it," she hissed. Holy shit. This was not good.

"And I threw her number out of the car the instant we hit the road, didn't I?"

"So? I would rather have gone to jail than endured her bitchy remarks about getting rid of me. She just wanted to ride in your car."

Emmett laughed. "She just wanted to ride me in my car, Rosie, and that's why you're so pissed off."

Rose sniffed. "I don't care what you do, or who you do," she replied.

"Yes you do," he told her, grinning madly. "You're possessive of me and it's sexy as hell. Let's go back and break the car in all the way." Please, God, don't let them have sex in that car right before I have to endure an eighteen hour ride in it.

"I'm not breaking in anything with you!" she shouted again. "You had your shot and you blew it. Why don't you ask the cop to help you with it?"

Emmett narrowed his eyes. "Maybe I will. I can just go back and get her number off the side of the road and…"

"Like hell you will," she said and the next thing we knew they were kissing again. Jeez, they were a strange pair.

"They're crazy," Bella murmured as we watched them go at it, practically eating one another's faces off. Emmett's hands were on Rose's ass and hers were curled into his shirt, holding him to her.

"Yeah they are, baby," I replied. It worked for them though. There was just some kind of angry energy that they gave off. I had a feeling they were going to have some epic fights in the future.

"Well, if anybody's still interested, I'm on Rose's side," Alice supplied. Rose pulled away from Emmett and released his shirt.

"Of course you are," she said with a triumphant smile.

"Yeah, she's only on your side because she hates me," Emmett replied. "I think Sesame Street did a special on stranger danger and pedophiles, maybe you should watch that for some tips so you're not caught."

Alice glared at him while Rose smacked him again. "The only stranger in danger from me is you." It was comical to see tiny Alice threatening my huge brother and I had to laugh. They both glared at me and I broke off.

"So, whose side are you on, Edward? You've heard the whole story now. You know that I kept Rosie from going to jail and that she wants me."

"Uhhh, I'm pleading the fifth," I replied.

Bella giggled as I ducked my head into her neck. "You wuss. Fine, I'll handle it. Rose, if you went to jail for hitting a cop it could fuck up your future and I bet your parents would take your car away." I looked up to see her reaction and a look of horror flitted across Rose's face. "Exactly. So, while Emmett probably could have handled it without hitting on the cop, it was better that he did something to keep you from getting arrested."

"I didn't hit on her! I just let her hit on me. There's totally a difference," he interjected with a pout.

"Whatever you say, Emmett. Now, if you'll excuse us, Edward and I had a long day and we're going to go to bed." We were? Hell yeah we were. She stood and pulled me to my feet. I grinned at my pouting brother.

"Goodnight. I'll see you at eight."

"It is pretty late, Rosie. We should get to bed," he commented hopefully.

Rose laughed at him. "Do you honestly think you're sleeping with me tonight? Whether you did it to save me or not, I'm not sleeping with you right after you hit on some girl in front of me." Bella tugged me away from the fascinating standoff between the two of them.

"Come on, Edward. We don't have any sleeping arrangement to argue over." No, we most certainly did not. She closed the door and kissed me. "Let's go to bed."

"Yeah, you need some sleep I'm sure and…"

She grinned and tugged on my hand. "I didn't say let's go to sleep."

Well, then. I was officially much more excited about bedtime.

Xoxoxoxoxox

The alarm clock woke us after only a few hours of sleep. Bella mumbled and smacked at the clock until it shut up. I got out of bed while she buried her head in the pillow. I took a solo shower, which was sad but necessary to wake myself up and not to get distracted for hours on end as I would inevitably be confronted with a wet, naked Bella again.

I got dressed in the bathroom and came out to find Bella sitting on her bed. Her eyes were sleepy and her hair was tousled and she was incredibly beautiful. I wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed with her. Instead I opened my arms and she hurried into them, squeezing me tightly. I closed my eyes and buried my face in that soft hair, inhaling her scent. I was going to miss her so much that it hurt.

"It's only a few days, baby." I wasn't sure if I was talking to her or myself. I was holding on to the fact that I'd be back with her soon. But what about after? She had to come to Europe with me for the summer, she just had to.

"I know," she murmured against my chest. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Bella. I'll call you every couple of hours and text and email and annoy the hell out of you until I have you in my arms again."

She laughed and looked up at me. "You could never annoy me."

I smiled. "Good to hear." She released me and ran into the bathroom. I walked over to my bag and made sure I had all my clothes and things. Bella came out and held a bottle of lotion out for me and I laughed. "Thank you." I pulled her in for a long kiss and tasted her minty toothpaste on her lips.

She laughed. "I figured it would tide you over until you came back to me."

I kissed her again. "Everything else pales in comparison to being with you."

She smiled at that. "Well, I figure you can smell me and maybe you can hear me so…" she broke off and blushed.

Hell yes. "Are you saying you'd like some more phone sex, baby? You can't wait until I get here on Friday?" She bit her lip and nodded. "I love that," I told her honestly. I did. I loved her, too. She was made for me.

"I do, too," she replied softly.

That reminded me. I got my phone out and handed it to her. "Could you put your number in here?"

Bella took my phone and looked at me sadly. "Did you delete me after the other day?"

Fuck. Of course she thought that. "No, baby." Confession time. "I got a special phone that's just for you to use, when I wasn't sure about who you were and what we might be. I didn't want you to have my number if things didn't work out so…" God that sounded bad. Bella was laughing at me now though, thankfully.

"So where's the special phone? Did you destroy it?"

"No. I mean, I thought about it but Emmett took it away."

She nodded. "Okay, well, are you sure you want me to have your number now? I kind of like the idea of a phone that's just mine."

I laughed and wrapped my arms around her. "I'll keep the Bella phone but I want you to have my main number, too." She chuckled as she input her number into my phone. I took it from her and hit dial so that she'd get it on her phone. It buzzed on the table. "There, now you can reach me anytime."

She smiled. "I like that."

"Me too, baby." I could hear my brother calling my name in the living room and I sighed. "Emmett's here."

Bella bit her lip and looked sad for an instant before her face cleared. "Okay. I'm not going to get upset. You'll be back in four days."

"Yes, I will." I brushed her hair away from her face. "I'll always come back to you, Bella."

She smiled and rose up on her tiptoes to kiss me. "I'm not going to say goodbye to you out there in front of anyone."

"Good, because it's not goodbye. It's see you soon." Bella laughed and I noticed for the first time that she was wearing one of my t-shirts. "Did you steal that?"

She smiled. "It smells like you. I wanted something…" I broke her off with a kiss because I more than got it. I had her lotion, after all, and if she hadn't offered me some I might have stolen it myself.

"I love that you wanted something that smells like me, baby. I'll give you anything you like. Want some more shirts?" She giggled and shook her head no. "Alright. Just checking."

She pressed her body against mine and I held her tightly. "I'll see you soon, Bella." Her lips met mine again and I kissed her until I heard the knocking on her door. "I have to go."

"I know," she whispered. I kissed her again. Her eyes were watery but she wasn't crying, thank God. If she was I doubt I could leave.

"Bella, you're…I…you're my girl," I told her, because it was true. She smiled and nodded. "I just want you to always remember that, even when I'm not here, I'm still with you in here." I pointed at her heart and yeah it was cheesy shit but it was the truth. She'd always be in my heart and I was damn well going to let her know that even if I sounded kinda stupid.

"Yes, you are." She was agreeing that I was in her heart. Mine felt like it was going to beat out of my chest.

I held her hand to my heart and smiled. "And you're right here. You're my one, Bella."

Her brow wrinkled a little but she kissed me. "I don't know what that means."

"I'll tell you next week," I replied, kissing her hard as my brother began beating on the door. "Just remember it, okay?"

"I will," she replied.

"See you soon," I told her, watching her as I opened the knob.

Emmett smacked me on the shoulder. "About time, bro. Sorry to take him away, Bella, but I'll have him back you on Friday."

She grinned. "I'll hold you to that, Emmett. Don't make me hunt you down. I'll bring Rose."

He laughed. "Is that a threat or a promise? No worries, Eddie here wouldn't let me keep him away if I tried, not that I would."

"Good. Bye, Emmett." Her eyes were on me again. "Bye, Edward." I was back and kissing her before she even finished saying my name. My brother groaned but I ignored him. Her hands were in my hair and she was holding onto me for dear life. This sucked. I didn't want to leave her.

"Maybe I could…" I started to suggest when my brother grabbed my arm from behind and hauled me away as Bella giggled.

"You have to go to your meeting or I'll get blamed and I've got enough shit with Mom pissed at me. Suck it up, Edward. You'll see her soon."

"I know, but…"

Bella came over and kissed me quickly. "Go. The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll be back."

That made no sense. If I stayed, I'd never have to be back. She laughed and pushed me as my brother dragged me away. "Hurry back to me Edward."

"I will." I'd always return to her. I struggled against my brother who finally let me go. I opened my arms and she filled them again, hugging me and kissing me once more.

"Come back and you'll get lots more of that."

"Count on it," I told her. I had to go. I released her and studied her beautiful face, memorizing her one more time before I left.

"I got him," Emmett told her, holding my arm. He raised his voice. "See you soon, Rosie. We'll pick up where we left off." No response came from Rose's room. Bella's eyes were on mine and she smiled and mouthed something.

"What?" I asked and she shook her head. Emmett dragged me out so it would remain a mystery. Bella waved at me from the door and I waved back before turning and hurrying down the stairs. If I didn't leave now, I'd never go. I could survive a few days away from her, right?

* * *


	27. Chapter 27

It was a good thing Emmett was driving for the first leg of the trip because I would have likely turned the car back around and driven back to Bella's. Fuck my meeting with Marcus. We could do it on the phone. Fuck Kate and Garrett and Mom and no…that was a dangerous thought. It was a good thing she wasn't around because she probably would have known I had that kind of thought and kicked my ass for it. Never blow off Mom.

"Enough with the long face, Edward. You're bringing me down from my Rosie high."

I glanced over at his grinning face. "What high is that? Last I heard she was pretty pissed at you."

He smirked. "She's just the passionate type. Better to have her pissed than indifferent. She can stew about it all week long and then she'll be all over my ass on Friday."

I shook my head. He lived a very different existence from me, but I wasn't about to complain. Not now that I had Bella. "I think you're wrong."

He shrugged. "Even if I am, I'll wear her down over the week. She's already nuts about me; she just doesn't want to admit it. It'll only take a little time and a little exposure." He chuckled darkly and I stared at him.

"Dude, if you mean _exposure_ exposure I'll kick your ass. No way are you whipping your cock out where Bella could see. Also, Rose would probably cut it off if you did that."

Emmett laughed so hard I was afraid he was going to crash. "You should see your face! Not that kind of exposure, jackass. I'm talking about wandering around shirtless, letting her see me in just a towel, exercising in front of her. No way can she hold out. Plus, you don't have to worry about Bella."

What on earth was he talking about? "What do you mean I don't have to worry about Bella?" I was already worrying about her and that asshole Mike Newton and Mr. Nice Guy Colin and God knew who else. It was like my job to worry about Bella now. I couldn't help it. I loved her and I hated that those jerks got to be around her every day while I was stuck in California.

"I mean, Bella wouldn't see my cock if I ran around naked all day long."

I stared at him. I could make a small dick joke but living with him I knew it would be a lie and he'd probably whip it out just to prove me wrong. "She's not blind, Emmett."

He laughed. "I'm aware of that, little bro. I'm just saying you two are getting your own cabin, as are Rose and I."

That was…awesome. But a bit presumptuous on his part. Bella wouldn't care, but I bet Rose would. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but I think Rose might take issue with you informing her that she'll be spending the week alone with you."

Emmett snorted. "Please. She'll be thrilled. And I already ran it by her yesterday when we were getting to know one another."

He did? "And she was okay with it?" I loved Rose. I should buy her something for all she'd done to help me and Bella. Diamonds? A Venom like my brother's? It would be worth anything she wanted.

"Naturally. She wants my fine ass, Edward. You saw her last night." Well, I had but I knew she'd also make it difficult on him. Why she was being cooperative on this was beyond me. "She said she was doing it for Bella, so she'd get her time alone with you, but we all know she's doing it because she wants me to rock her world in every room and on every surface. I already called and got it done. You're in one cabin; we're next door, but not too close by." He wiggled his eyebrows. "You probably won't be able to hear her screaming my name."

I could picture her screaming it in a rage instead of the way he wanted. "As long as she signed off on it."

"Hey, I may be a dick now and then but I wouldn't presume a girl wanted to be alone with me. I mean, I know she does, but of course I asked her."

"Did you ask her before or after you pissed her off with the cop?"

He scowled. "Shut up. It's done. She knows about it. If she doesn't want to go, she'll damn well tell me. Rosie isn't the type to suffer in silence, let me tell you." He laughed. "She's amazing. You should have seen her, man. All day long she was torturing me. She kept running her fingers over the gear shift; she ate food that required her to be perverted. She deep throated a fucking hot dog!"

That was…huh. "I doubt she did that."

"I swear she did, Edward! She ate chicken wings and sucked on her fingers. She angled herself so her cleavage showed at every fucking opportunity. I really thought I might have a heart attack. And let me tell you, watching her lay into that cop? The sexiest damn thing I've ever seen a woman do, and we both know I've seen some sexy shit in my day. I'm not gonna lie, I kind of hoped she'd attempt to cuff Rose. Fuck me, a handcuffed Rosie…" He shifted in his seat and I groaned.

"Please, do not get a hard on right now, Emmett."

"Too late, bro. Just thinking about her does it for me. I'm sure you have the same issue with Bella."

That was mostly true but right now I was too busy missing her to get hard. I just wanted to hold her, with or without the sex. Not that I'd have to go without, thankfully. "I'm under control, thank you."

"Yeah, because you were busy getting laid for the past twenty-four hours," he muttered, sounding very envious.

"How do you know?" He raised an eyebrow at me and I laughed. Of course he knew. He always knew. "Fine, but it wasn't just getting laid. It was more than that."

Emmett grinned. "I know, cause she's your one. I gotta tell you, Eddie, I've never seen you look at anyone the way you look at Bella. And she's got the same look on her face when she looks at you. If Mom had seen it she would have started knitting booties for her future grandbabies."

I laughed hard at that image. "In what world do you think Mom would ever knit?" But he did have a point. Mom would be thrilled if she saw how happy Bella made me.

"Alright, so she'd direct one of her underlings to knit some booties or to go to some high priced baby store and buy them. She'd still be overjoyed."

"Yeah, she would. Bella's…" I didn't even know how to describe it. "She's everything to me. When that asshole stalker stopped by…"

"What asshole stalker?" my brother demanded, sounding like he was ready to go kick some ass. I was glad to see he was already ready to take up for Bella. I never doubted it though. Emmett would do anything for the people he loved and since I loved Bella, she was part of his family now. Loved…it was becoming easier and easier to admit it to myself. I just had to tell her.

"This guy named Mike Newton. Apparently he has a hard time taking no for an answer. He was at the pizza place when she ordered our food yesterday and elected to pay for it and deliver it himself."

Emmett growled. "Did you kick his ass?"

"No, I couldn't let him see me." That still stung. "So I put on a hat and kissed her neck and practically molested her in the doorway. I also gave him back his money."

Emmett laughed at that. "Not bad, but an ass kicking would have been more fun. Wait a second." He picked his phone out of the cup container and hit a number. "Rosie, it's me." He huffed. "You know perfectly well who I am. I don't care if you're sleeping. Is this Mike Newton guy a threat to Bella?"

He listened for a second. "Calm down, woman. They ordered a pizza yesterday and he heard about it, paid for it and delivered it himself. Eddie didn't kick his ass because he's a wuss." I hit his arm and he grinned. "Also he didn't want the dude crying to the press about getting beaten up by a movie star. Is he a problem?" He paused. "Okay, good. If he approaches her again…" He laughed and hit the steering wheel. "I know you could, sexy. Would you let me watch?" He laughed at her answer. "You could try. Talk to you soon, beautiful."

He ended the call and grinned at me. "Rosie will handle it if he comes around again."

Of that I had no doubt. It made me feel better knowing she was there, though. My Bella was too precious to risk, even if this Mike was nothing but a nuisance. "Thanks, Em."

"No problem. And whenever you and my sister-to-be come out of the closet, I'll be happy to introduce myself to the guy." He chuckled darkly. "He'll be afraid to even whack off to her in his mind after I get done with him."

That was fucked up. "I so do not want to think about that, Emmett."

He shrugged. "Sorry bro, your girl is hot. You're not the only one who sees it. But she's crazy about you, so you don't have anything to worry about." Sure I did. Thousands of miles of distance, for one thing. I knew Bella wouldn't ever cheat on me, but time and space could take her away from me. "Cut it out," he told me.

"What?"

"Whatever has you looking like your dog died. You're not going to lose her to Newt or anyone else."

I sighed. "I know, I just hate being away from her already. What's it going to be like after we spend the week together and I have to go to fucking Germany? I asked her to go with me but she'll have at least a month of school and then her Dad and…" I broke off when Emmett choked on air. "What?"

"You already asked her to come to Europe with us? Damn Eddie, and I thought I moved fast!"

Whatever. "You texted that you were going to marry Rose," I reminded him.

"Oh yeah," he muttered. "Well, I get it then. Still, that's awesome. Maybe Rose will come with her!"

I laughed and took out my phone. We'd only been gone about an hour but I had to reach out to her. **I miss you already.**

"You'll have to ask her, if she's still speaking to you after last night and now you waking her up to ask her to kick some guy's ass."

"I'll have you know my Rosie likes kicking ass. I made her day." He sounded so proud.

Somehow that didn't surprise me. My phone buzzed. _I miss you, too. Come back to me soon._ I grinned at it and Emmett laughed. "You're so gone."

Yeah, I was. **I will, baby. I'm counting down the hours until I can see you again.**

I closed my eyes and leaned against the window. I needed to get some sleep before it was my turn to drive. At least I had that to look forward to, even if I was driving in the wrong direction. My phone buzzed again.

_Seeing is good, touching and tasting is better._

Crap. Now I was hard again. It was worse now that I knew exactly what she felt and tasted like. I wished my bag wasn't in the trunk because I could have at least opened her lotion so I could smell her, though that was probably dangerous.

 **You're teasing me already, naughty girl? You really must want that spanking when I get you alone.** Speaking of that, I should tell her about Emmett's plans. **Apparently Rose and Em are getting their own cabin, so I'll be free to have my way with you anytime and anyplace.**

"Dude, are you sexting?" Emmett demanded. How in the hell did he do that?

"Not really," I told him, because technically I wasn't. I was being suggestive as hell but I wasn't telling her to touch herself because that would kill me now that I knew exactly what it looked like. I'd never be able to watch porn again because Bella had ruined me with her little blue car. Not that I minded.

_You can always have your way with me, anytime and anyplace, but I'm glad to hear that we won't have to worry about hearing those two going at it. And it's not teasing if I plan to follow through._

I groaned and Emmett pounded on the steering wheel. "You _are_ sexting! Damn it, I want to sext Rosie." He held his phone out to me. "Type what I say."

I smacked it away. "Fuck no, I'm not sexting for you jackass. There is something severely wrong with you if you're asking your own brother to do that."

He sighed and put his phone down. "Fine, but I'm going to sext her when it's your turn to drive."

"Do whatever you want then." Wait a minute, that was a bad suggestion. "I mean, type whatever you want. You damn well better not do anything else."

Emmett laughed loudly. "Don't worry about that, I wouldn't want to mess up my baby." He caressed the dashboard lovingly. "The only way I would have done that was if Rosie would have let me screw her in the car. She's number one."

He must be in love, then. I shook my head and texted Bella back. **I'll hold you to that, baby. Are you in class?**

"I wish I could blow off this meeting."

Emmett laughed. "You could but Kate and Mom would both hunt your ass down which would be far worse than leaving Bella for a few days." He looked at my expression. "Alright, maybe not far worse, but if they beat your ass, you wouldn't be able to do anything with Bella anyway."

Another text came through. _Yes and it's getting very difficult to pay attention._

"That would suck. Okay, let's just get down there and get it over with." He gunned the engine as I sent her a response. **Alright, baby, be a good school girl now and a naughty one for me later. I'm going to sleep for awhile before it's my turn at the wheel. I'll talk to you soon.**

I closed my eyes and pictured her beautiful face. Soon couldn't come soon enough.

Xoxoxoxox

I made my way into the CAA offices and kept a smile plastered on my face as people started fawning all over me. I'd kept my sunglasses on so nobody could see how damn tired I was. Emmett and I hadn't arrived until about four AM and I'd slept for shit without Bella. We'd managed a quick phone call during the drive and some more texts but after having spent hours with her, it just wasn't enough for me.

I arrived on Marcus' floor and was greeted by his secretary, Heidi. Before I could do much more than push my sunglasses on top of my head, she waved me in. Marcus was one of the top agents at CAA and he had a top of the line office with huge glass windows, some large, leather couches and a bar and everything. I saw bodies on the couch and looked over to find Kate and Garrett grinning at me. Marcus was on his phone but his light blue eyes were on me. I nodded and walked over to my publicist and manager.

"I wasn't aware this was a team meeting."

"State of the Union," Garrett replied. "We need to talk box office, business and maybe personal." He wagged his eyebrows at me and I shook my head.

"There's nothing to talk about on the personal end."

"You look like shit," Kate told me, before giving me a hug.

I hugged her back and then glared at her. "It was a long drive."

She laughed. "I just bet it was." Her eyes moved over me. "Actually, I lied. You look tired but you don't look like shit. You look happy."

That's because I was. "I am." Marcus was still on the phone so I figured I could sit and shoot the shit for a bit. "Bella's amazing. Smart, funny, sweet, sexy…we had a great time."

"I'm sure you did." Garrett did that eyebrow thing again and I smacked him.

"What the hell, man? Are you turning into a dirty old man?"

"There's nothing old about me," he replied. "And I've always been dirty."

"It's true, he has been," Kate agreed. "It's why I married him."

"I thought you married me because I'm hot and brilliant."

"Edward's hot. Marcus is brilliant. You're dirty. I'm unstoppable. Together we're a perfect team," was her response.

Garrett frowned. "I don't think I like that."

"I don't think I like solely being hot." I really didn't care, but I figured I should protest a little.

Kate patted my shoulder. "Don't worry, you're also talented. Thank God for that or Garrett would be turning tricks on Hollywood Boulevard."

"And what would you be doing while I was whoring myself?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Aren't we all whores in this town?" she asked. Neither of us responded and she laughed. "Okay, fine then. I'd obviously be working for some seedy tabloid instead of fighting them off all the time. By the way, Jane's no longer having your love baby. They're both Demetri's and that child he's dating wants to sue for custody."

I snickered at that. "Were it true, Jane would have her for lunch."

"Nah, you wouldn't let her. You're lovingly staying by her side, promising to raise the babies as your own."

"I'm so noble," I joked.

"What you are, my boy, is bankable," Marcus' deep voice boomed behind me.

I about jumped out of my skin. I turned and found him standing there, grinning from ear to ear. He was in a fancy suit and tie and I found myself grateful for how much things had changed. I remembered being completely intimidated by him when I was seventeen, cowering in my own suit and tie while he assessed me like a piece of meat. My career had been in his hands but he'd seen something in me and taken me on. Now I was here in jeans and a t-shirt, ever the non-caring movie star. Well, I cared, but I wasn't about to wear a suit when I didn't have to.

"How bankable am I?" I asked, shaking his hand.

He laughed and leaned against his desk. I sat on the empty couch and Kate and Garrett sat back on theirs.

"Well, Garrett could tell you just as easily but I'll tell you anyway since it's my meeting." He grinned at Garrett. " _Wild at Heart_ surpassed $100 million in domestic box office over the weekend and it's at $228 million worldwide, which is major for a movie aimed primarily at women."

That was…damn. That was way better than I thought it would do. I'd taken a major pay cut just to make the movie, but what I had signed on for was a percentage of the box office and…hell. Marcus laughed. "That's right; you've made over your usual fee by a few million at this point. When it's all said and done? You'll probably make about thirty million, and that's just straight box office. DVDs will earn you even more."

I wasn't going to lie, it was an obscene amount of money. But I really had only taken a million to make the movie. I never thought my ten percent would amount to that much. "Your willingness to make a small budget movie has made me a very busy man, Edward."

Marcus turned and grabbed something off his desk. "This is the Schrader script that Garrett talked to you about."

He handed it to me and I glanced at it. "Untitled?"

Marcus waved a hand. "They're still working on a title. It doesn't matter what they call it, because its title could easily be 'Edward Cullen Wins an Oscar'."

I looked up at him. "It's that good?"

"It's that good. And the cast is that good. And the character is fascinating. I wanted to be this guy. You'd rock it. I never flat out tell you what to do, do I?" I raised an eyebrow at that and he laughed. "Okay, I never tell you what to do anymore, now that you're not a green kid just off the bus."

I sat back. "That's true."

"I'm telling you to do this movie. You won't regret it."

No, I didn't think I would. "When? Where?"

"You're on _Steele_ through August; this starts shooting in London in September. You could go straight there if you wanted, or come home for a few weeks before going there. Whatever you like."

September. Bella would be back in school and I'd be on the other side of the globe. Fuck. "I'll need to look the script over and get back to you," I told him. It wouldn't be so bad if Bella was able to come visit me over the summer, but if she couldn't swing it, there was no way I could go straight from one movie to the other without seeing her in between.

I could feel three sets of eyes on me and I looked around the room. "What?"

"Are you hesitating because of the girl?" Kate asked, her blue eyes boring into my skull.

Shit. Was I that readable? "Not exactly."

"What does not exactly mean?" Garrett asked.

"It means I haven't read the script yet so I have to see if I like it. Do I trust you and Marcus? Yes, but I need to see how I feel when I read the thing, if I can identify with the guy, don't I?" I knew I was protesting a bit much but it was true.

"Of course you do," Marcus replied.

"Okay. And yes, I admit that Bella might be a consideration. I'm not saying I won't do it because of her, but I'd like to know a few things about the scheduling before I commit for sure."

"Edward, you just…"

I held up a hand, cutting off Garrett. "Don't. I know how fast it is. I don't care. I know what's right for me and that's Bella. I've asked her to come to visit me this summer after her semester ends. If she does, we'll have plenty of time together and I won't hesitate to go straight to London in September. If she doesn't, then I'll likely need some time off to go and see her. Don't give me crap about time. How long was it before you were wrapped around Kate's little finger?"

Kate laughed. "He has you there, Garrett." She leveled me with her gaze. "So, that's it then. She's _the one."_ Kate knew our family history just as well as I did. I nodded. "So, what's the deal? When do you want to go public? Do you? What do you want me to do?"

That, right there, was why I loved her. Most publicists would throw a holy fit over me having a girlfriend, ruining some of my marketability as a single guy. Kate didn't bat an eyelash at it. If I wanted to tell the world I was taken, then she was fine with it.

I sighed. "For now, I need to keep it quiet. Not for me, but for her. She doesn't need the press descending on her while she tries to go to class and finish her degree."

"Is she a junior, a senior?" Kate asked.

"She's a senior but she's planning on starting grad school in the fall, so that's what? Three more years? Two?" There was no way we could keep quiet for that long, but hopefully we could at least get her through senior year without the distractions that dating me would provide.

"So, for now you just want to deny being with Jane and say nothing about Bella?" she asked. She flipped open her planner. "You're meeting with _Rolling Stone_ the Tuesday after you get back from your week off." She made a face when she said it and I shot her a withering glance. "I know, you deserve your time with your girl, I just had to do some rescheduling. You're going to busy as hell for the two weeks prior to going to Berlin. I hope you're ready for it."

I was. Or I would be. It was worth it for my time away with Bella. "I can handle it."

"I'm sure you can. You know _Rolling Stone_ is going to ask about your personal life. They'll be spending an entire day with you," she reminded me.

I knew that. And I knew I'd have to tell them something. "I'll talk to Bella about it this weekend, but right now I'm leaning toward implying that there is someone in my life but not giving them anymore than that."

Kate laughed. "That'll drive the tabloids wild."

Yeah it would. "Maybe, but protecting Bella is my number one priority. I'm not going to deny she exists, because she deserves to know that she is important enough for me to talk about her. I just don't want her getting harassed because of me." I was scared it would drive her away. A big reason so many famous people got together was because they knew what they were getting into. It could be daunting for someone who wasn't used to this lifestyle; the hounding, the crazy hours, the fans. It was just easier to date someone who expected it.

"Well, talk to her and then talk to me. We'll figure it out," Kate assured me, her hand on Garrett's leg.

"I don't care who you date," Marcus supplied with a grin. "I just care that you do that movie. And your option for the next _Steele_ script is already being picked up. Depending on timing, you'll probably be in, where did they say…" he broke off, muttering as he shuffled through some papers. "Italy next summer." I immediately saw Bella and me riding on a gondola in Venice and strolling the Ponte de Vecchio in Florence. I could get her some beautiful gold pieces there. That would be awesome. I wasn't allowed to question the timing or anything with _Steele_. I was locked into a solid contract there. The only thing that changed was the money per film.

"The London movie would wrap by early December at the latest. I'm sure you'll want Christmas for time with the family or, well, whomever," Marcus said. I laughed. He wasn't into discussing my personal life, for which I was eminently grateful. "I've got about forty scripts for you to choose from to film early next year, but I'm recommending something lighter. There are a few good romantic comedies in my hot little hands."

I looked at Garrett who nodded. "That's fine. Give me anything you think is worth my time and I'll read it over." I could read some on the flight and maybe a little when we were at the cabin. As much as I wanted to make love to Bella 24/7, it wasn't physically possible. She loved to read and might be able to help me pick out a script, actually. The more I thought about that, the more I loved the idea.

Marcus went around his desk and started piling up scripts. "I've made some notes." I grinned because his notes were usually hilarious. He often commented on what he thought was stupid or who he would cast in certain roles. Let's just say that some of his past clients got some pretty shitty roles in his versions. "Don't laugh at me," he told me as he dumped about six scripts in my lap.

"If you're through?" Garrett asked. Marcus waved him on. "Okay, you've got some interesting endorsement deals. Rolex wants you for some print ads." I didn't have a problem with that. Garrett handed me a contract to look over. "Mercedes for voice over in television commercials." Another contract. I had a Mercedes, so I supposed I could shill for one, especially if I didn't have to actually appear in the commercial. Everybody was doing car commercials these days. " _Grey's_ wants you back for a guest appearance."

I frowned. I felt a certain loyalty there, since that had been my first job ever, but I really didn't do TV anymore. "Give me the details and I'll think about it." He droned on about a couple other potential appearances and an HBO movie about drug addiction that actually sounded kind of interesting. I told him to get me the details on that one and scrap the rest.

After what felt like hours, we were finally done. I had a shitload of stuff to carry to the car, which Garrett helped with. Marcus shook my hand and immediately got back on the phone. Kate and Garrett left with me.

"I've sent you an itinerary for the rest of this week and the weeks after your vacation," Kate told me. "Look it over and if you have any issues, let me know."

"Will do. Thanks for clearing my calendar, Katie. You don't know what it means to me."

She smiled. "I think I do. I saw your face when you talked about her. You just better get her down here so I can meet her soon or I'll go around you and do it myself."

I laughed because I knew she would. "Will do, if you guys ever let me come home."

She shook her head. "If she comes to see you this summer, Garrett and I might have to drop in to see how the movie's going."

"Just drop in to Berlin, huh?" I asked.

"Sure," Garrett said with a smile. "We need to meet the girl that's got you planning a future, don't we?"

Yeah, they probably did. We got to my car and he set scripts and contracts on my passenger seat. "Thanks for supporting me, you two. I know you're probably a little hesitant." I saw them exchange glances and laughed. "But I promise you, Bella's the one for me. You'll see."

"Hopefully soon," Kate supplied, kissing my cheek. Garrett clapped me on the back and we said our goodbyes. I heard the clicking of some cameras and waved at the paps across the street as I got in my car. Welcome home. Ugh. I needed to go home and call Bella.

Xoxoxoxox

"Yo, bro, how was the meeting?" Em's voice greeted me from the kitchen when I got home. I set my scripts on the coffee table and went in to find him digging into some spaghetti.

"Where'd that come from?" Neither of us really cooked beyond grilling.

"Mom's," he replied with a full mouth. Nothing more needed to be said, I grabbed a plate and scooped some out of the bowl.

"Did she sign off on this?"

He shrugged. "She wasn't home so I helped myself." Shit, she was going to be pissed. Oh well, nothing I could do about it. It was Emmett's problem. I started eating. Mom, Italian that she was, made a hell of a red sauce.

"You're a dead man," I told him after I'd eaten several bites.

"She was the one bitching about us missing dinner. I figure this way, I didn't really miss it. You know she woulda made it for us if we were home."

His logic worked for him, at least. "The meeting was good, I guess. _Wild_ broke the $200 mill barrier."

Emmett let out a low whistle. "Really? And shit doesn't even blow up in that movie. Damn."

I laughed. "Shit doesn't have to blow up to make money, Emmett."

"Says you," he muttered. "I might just have to go blow something up to make myself feel better about that."

I snickered. "Just do it far away from here." I paused and ate a little more. "Have you talked to Rose?"

He snorted. "No, she's avoiding me since I sexted her up. I probably rendered her speechless."

He killed me. "Sure you did, Emmett."

"We can't all be cuddly and sweet like you and Bella. What did Kate have to say about that?"

I shrugged. "She's cool with me mentioning that I'm off the market and refusing to name names if I want. I need to talk to Bella about it while we're at the cabin."

"The press will go nuts," Emmett predicted.

"Yeah, well, let them. As long as she's not getting bothered, I don't give a damn what they do to me."

"Did you tell Kate that I'm off the market too? She'll love that."

"Shit, I forgot. She'll die. Of course, Rose hasn't exactly committed to you."

He scowled. "She will, damn it."

I finished my spaghetti and set my plate in the sink. "I'm gonna go call Bella." He laughed and muttered something about me being whipped. I didn't care. I ran to my room and dialed her as I stretched out on my bed.

"Hello."

I smiled as her sweet voice came over the line. "Hi, baby."

"Hi, Edward! How was your meeting?"

"Good. How's your day been?"

She laughed. "Exhausting. I'm actually shopping with Rose."

Something in her tone had me perking up. "Shopping for what exactly?"

Bella giggled. I could just see her glowing face in my mind. Damn I missed her. "You'll see soon enough."

Crap, she was killing me. "Are you teasing me, baby?"

"Not teasing, promising."

And I was getting hard again. I glanced the lotion bottle on my nightstand. Maybe she could ditch Rose and we could…

"Edward Anthony Cullen! Get your ass down here!" Holy shit. Mom was in the house. Damn Emmett and his food stealing ways.

"Uh, Bella, I have to call you back. My mom's here."

She giggled. "You sound positively terrified."

"Emmett stole some spaghetti from her house. I only ate a little," I told her.

She laughed at my fear, which was mean but I couldn't be mad at her. "Well, you better go face the music. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. I…" I broke off because the word love was on the tip of my tongue. I wasn't going to tell her for the first time over the phone. "I miss you, baby."

"I miss you, too," her voice got softer and sexier. "I'll call you when I get home."

"Okay, bye Bella."

"Bye." She was gone and I had to go down and face Mom. I better live through her inquisition because I had to see my girl in three short days. Nothing was keeping me from that.

* * *


	28. Chapter 28

I gingerly made my way downstairs and into the living room, peeking around the corner where Mom was busy shaking a finger at Emmett. "If you wanted spaghetti, you could have called me and asked me to make you some. Or even better, you could have called and invited us to dinner since you missed out on Sunday." She was in one of her black business suits, dressed to kill, and her green eyes were glaring at my brother as he hunched over on the couch, trying to draw his giant self into a ball.

"I know, Mama. That was actually my plan but you weren't there and I'm a growing boy. Plus, Edward had some, too."

"Hey! I barely had any!" I shouted before I could stop myself. Mom's gaze cut to me and she crooked a finger at me. I slunk over to her and braced myself in case she was pissed off. A hand closed around my chin and she eyed me for a minute before wrapping her arms around me. Oh, thank God. I hugged her back while Emmett huffed on the couch and muttered something about me being the "spoiled baby." I didn't give a damn, though.

"Hi, Mom," I said when she released me. She raised an eyebrow and pointed at the couch next to my brother. Shit, maybe I was in trouble. I sat and watched her warily.

"The hug was because I haven't seen you in several weeks, but don't think I'm not mad that you stole my food."

"Emmett stole it." He elbowed me but I didn't care. "It was already taken and here when I had some, so I didn't see the harm in having a little. I was hungry." I sort of pouted up at her, which used to work when I was little.

Her lips twitched and then she laughed. "You could have called and asked, you know."

"Well, I didn't think I'd be facing the firing squad for taking a little food," Emmett pointed out, crossing his arms.

"You think this is the firing squad?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Emmett shook his head rapidly. "Damn right. I had the president of NBC practically crying earlier today; don't think I can't handle you." Emmett held up his hands. "Besides, you're not in trouble for taking my food; you're in trouble for not calling to tell me that you'd arrived home safely."

Shit. "Sorry, Mom, we didn't get home until about four AM, then we slept and I had to go to my meeting."

She looked at Emmett who held up his hands. "The first thing I did after I got up was go to your place. It's not my fault you're always working. I'm a latchkey kid."

At that, my mother lost it, laughing her ass off. "How I don't have a head full of gray hairs because of you two is beyond me."

Emmett beamed at her, knowing that he wasn't in trouble in anymore. "You're beautiful. People mistake you for my girlfriend all the time."

"Gross, Em," I told him, shifting over so Mom could sit between the two of us.

She linked an arm with each of us. "Enough of that; get to the good stuff. Tell me about your girls."

Emmett lit up like a Christmas tree and took his phone off the coffee table. "Here, Ma, look at my Rosie!" He proceeded to whip through a series of pictures that he must have taken while they were out alone, because she was driving his car, her face fierce with concentration in some and just looking delighted in others.

"She's beautiful," my mother said, smiling softly. "Tell me about her."

He grinned. "Her name is Rosalie Hale. She's twenty-two, pre-med and smart as hell Mom." She smacked him for that and he grimaced. "Hell is not a bad word." Another eyebrow raise and he sighed. "Anyway, she's crazy about me." I laughed at that and he glared at me. "She is! She wouldn't have gotten so mad if she didn't care."

Mom glanced at me. "What did he do?"

"Oh sure! It's what I did! It's more like what did she do, Mom! She nearly got us arrested!"

My mother laughed. "Says my son who's been arrested three times?"

It was actually five but Emmett wisely didn't correct her on that front. I'd gotten him out of trouble a couple of times without her hearing about it, thank God. It would be both our asses if she did. "So, I've gotten into a little trouble now and then." I laughed and got another glare from him. "Seriously, Mom, I kept Rosie from getting arrested for indecent exposure and assaulting an officer."

Mom stared at him. "Somehow I imagine you had something to do with the indecent exposure, Emmett."

He grinned unrepentantly, his dimples showing. "She couldn't take her hands off me. Can you blame her? Look at the handsome son you produced." She laughed at that. "We may have been uh…" Emmett looked at me for help and I shrugged.

"Clothingly challenged?" I suggested.

He nodded, laughing. "Yes, exactly, clothingly challenged in a park after hours and a female officer may have caught us and hit on me a little bit. I figured letting her do that was better than us getting hauled in for indecent exposure and loitering or whatever they can call being in a park after dark. Rosie didn't like that so much, though." He grimaced but then brightened. "She totally got pissed and then she called me hers, Mom. It was so hot!"

My mother, thankfully, took his story in stride and just laughed. "She sounds pretty spirited, which she'd have to be to put up with you. When do I get to meet her?"

Emmett brightened. "Soon, I hope! She doesn't know that I'm going to marry her yet, but I'll break her down soon enough."

Mom laughed and shook her head. "Well, I hope I get to meet her before you get engaged." Her words were light but her eyes were serious. Em nodded quickly. Both of us knew that Mom wasn't about to sign off on something like marriage without knowing the girl. "And Edward, I don't think I need to ask how it went for you."

"Oooh! Let me show you Mom!" Emmett was scrolling through his phone again and shoving it back under her nose. "That was them yesterday morning. I had to physically drag him out of her arms to get him to come home." I hadn't even realized he'd taken a picture then, but I'd been wrapped up in Bella. We were holding on to one another and our faces were just an inch or two apart and our eyes…wow. We were looking at each other like there was nobody else in the world.

My mom gasped and wrapped her arms around me. "She is your one, isn't she? I knew it, of course, but to see it like that, and to see her looking back at you like you're everything." She pulled back and wiped at a tear. "That's what I've always wanted for you." She smiled at Emmett. "For both of you. I couldn't be happier that you've found your other halves." She positively beamed at me. "She's gorgeous, Edward. Tell me all about her."

"Well, you already know the basics. Her parents are divorced and her Mom took off when she was young." My mother's eyes went hot at that which didn't surprise me at all. "She's not close to her mother at all but she and her dad are tight. He's the police chief in the town she grew up in, Forks, Washington."

Emmett hooted at that. "Get out the shotgun, Chief Daddy, the superstar is wooing your daughter!" Mom smacked him and he frowned. "What, it could happen."

I laughed. "Rose's dad is some big time surgeon; he could slice you and dice you."

He snorted. "Please, Rosie's more of a threat for that than her father is. Her whole family is fucked up." He got smacked again and held up his hands. "Sorry, Mama but it's true! She told me a little bit and they basically pay her no attention at all. Though that might be nice," he muttered.

That got him a frosty glare that had him shrinking down again. "Oh, really, would you like to have a family that didn't give a damn about what you did? A mother who didn't cook you dinner every Sunday?"

"No, Mama, never!" he cried in horror. Emmett loved our family dinners. Well, so did I for that matter. "I was just joking. I wouldn't trade you for the world."

She sniffed. "Darn right you wouldn't. So, what's the plan? When do you see your girls again? When are they coming down so I can meet them?" Emmett and I exchanged glances which of course she didn't miss because she saw every damn thing. "What are you keeping from me? Did you get married already? So help me God if you boys got married without me, I will make you sorry until the end of time. Don't you think that you can just…"

"We're going back to Washington this weekend," Emmett blurted, trying to end her tirade. "We're not getting married, I swear. They have Spring Break and we got cabins in Mt. Rainier for the entire week. We won't be here for two more dinners. Don't kill me!" he yelled.

Mom looked at me and I nodded. "It was actually going to be how we met for the first time, before we fought about her knowing me and Emmett took me up there to fix it."

She sighed and reached for her purse, taking out her phone and dialing a number. "Carlisle, when's your last appointment?" I breathed my own sigh of relief because she didn't sound pissed off. "Because our sons are headed back to Washington this weekend so our family dinner has been moved to tonight. Pick up some chicken and salad fixings and meet me at their place."

Emmett perked right up at that. "What are you making, Mom? The alfredo? Please say it's the alfredo. I'll make Rosie name our first daughter after you."

My mother laughed. "Do you have the noodles and whatnot?" He ran into the kitchen and after some banging around answered in the affirmative. "Then alfredo it is. Get some garlic bread, too, sweetheart," she told my dad. "Our boys are in love. I'll let them tell you all about it. See you then. I love you." I smiled because that's how they ended every phone call for as long as I could remember and I'd been damn close to saying it to Bella just a bit ago.

"Your dad will be here in about an hour. Wash up and you can help me with the sauce." I got up and pulled her to her feet. She gave me another hug. "I'm so, so thrilled to see you so happy, Edward."

I kissed the top of her head. "I've never felt like this before, Mom."

She pulled back and smiled up at me, looking teary again. "I know, baby. And you never will again. I can't wait to see what your father has to say."

I laughed and released her. "He'll probably tell the story, again."

She chuckled. "Yeah, he will. Have you told Bella yet?"

I shook my head. "No, I thought I'd tell her at the cabin. I did slip and tell her she was my one, but she doesn't quite know what that means yet."

She reached up to ruffle my hair. "You can't hold out any longer than that, it's practically spilling out of you. If that girl doesn't know you love her, I'll be shocked."

No, Bella wouldn't assume something like that. "She got pretty burned by her last relationship, Mom. Her boyfriend of two years cheated on her and got the girl pregnant. She has some trust issues and of course that blew up when she saw me with Jane."

Her eyes were snapping with anger again. "I hope she skinned that boy alive. What's his name?"

I had to laugh. Emmett came by his immediate need to kick some ass honestly. "Tyler, but I don't know his last name."

"Well, get it. If she wants him crushed, I'll make it happen. Though I should send the moron a thank you card, for leaving her free for a much better man."

I felt my cheeks heating. "You're a little biased, Mom."

"Even if you weren't my son, I'd think you were the handsomest, sweetest man in the world." She'd been saying that since I was about five years old and it never failed to make me feel good.

"Hey!" Emmett hollered.

She snickered and winked at me. "I knew you were listening, Emmett. You walk like a herd of elephants. How about tied for handsomest, but you're not the sweetest and we both know it."

He chuckled from the doorway. "Fine, but I'm the coolest."

"Yes, you are. Now get back in that kitchen, we have pasta to make." She smiled at me. "Go, wash up. You too, Emmett," she shouted.

"I already did, Ma!" he called back.

She raised an eyebrow. "You did not. Don't make me come in there and check!"

"Alright, I'm doing it!" he yelled back.

"Why that boy still thinks he can pull one over on me is beyond me," she muttered.

I laughed. "I think Em just has to test boundaries at all times."

She rolled her eyes. "You're right. Alright, meet me in the kitchen in five minutes." And she was off.

I hurried upstairs and cast a longing glance at my phone. Talking about Bella only made me want to call her. Well, I wanted to do a lot more than that but I'd settle for whatever I could get right about now, even if it was just a…shit. I hadn't played a word against her before our fight. I hurriedly pulled it up and what the hell was this? I forfeited? And lost? I didn't fucking forfeit you damn game! I was winning. Scowling, I saw that she'd started a new game. Her word made me laugh out loud. SEMEN? Did she think that was a word she could taunt me with? Well, yeah, she could. Laughing I opened her message.

_As you can see, you're very much on my mind. Or at least part of you is. No, all of you. Sorry, it's not the sexiest of words but it does bring sex to mind so I thought you'd appreciate it._

I snickered at that. I did appreciate it for it non-sexiness.

_Too bad you forfeited that game you were winning, baby, cause you're not going to be able to take me again. Well, you can definitely take me again, on every surface of the cabin, but you can't beat me at Words again. Last time was a fluke._

Jeez, that was all it took right there. We have lift-off and my mother is downstairs expecting me to appear in the kitchen at any minute. But I couldn't help it. Every surface of the cabin? Yes, please.

_Speaking of taking me, I'm still shopping. I believe you said red was your favorite color, didn't you? I might have a surprise or two for you when we get to the cabin. Three more days, Edward. I hope you're ready for me. I miss you._

Such a tease. Red looked damn good on her and I was dying to see what she had in store for me. I'd adored the lacy set she put on before we went to order pizza. Of course, I'd most adored taking them off her so she could play with her little blue car in front of me. Fuck! I needed to calm the hell down.

I wasn't going to play a sexy word back at her; that would just set me off even more. I played GAINS off of the S and got a double word score of 16, which was close to her 18. Then I flipped back to respond to her.

**Naughty Bella, taunting me with whatever it is you're shopping for. Red is my favorite color on you. That red bra and panties looked delicious on your skin. So did your cute little ass when I spanked it, which I need to do again very soon for all the teasing you're doing.**

**I can take you on every surface of the cabin, can I? Let's see, four bedrooms which equals four beds, four bathrooms with showers and bathtubs, a kitchen, a living room, an office, the hot tub…that's a whole lot of taking baby. Are you sure you can handle it?**

**I miss you too, although I guess I need these four days away to recuperate so that I can take you properly. See you soon, sexy.**

"Edward!" Shit. I closed the app and hurried to my bathroom to wash up and to will my dick into submission. Maybe tonight after Mom and Dad left I could convince Bella to tell me about her shopping trip. Better yet, to show me. We hadn't Skyped yet…

"Are you alright in here?" I jumped at the sound of my mom's voice in my bedroom.

"Yes, I'm coming." Bad choice of words.

"Well, hurry up," she scolded. I willed myself to calm down and in a couple of minutes I was fit for public consumption.

I hurried downstairs and acted like nothing had been amiss. "What can I do?"

Mom glanced at me and Emmett chuckled knowingly. "Were you talking to your girl, Edward?"

Shit. Of course they knew I'd taken far too long to wash up. "Uh, well, I wasn't talking to her, but I was responding to her message on _Words._ "

"Sexting," Emmett told my mother. Jesus. She laughed and I felt myself turning red.

"I was not!"

"Of course you weren't, dear. Everyone takes fifteen minutes to respond to a simple message and wash their hands." I sighed and she giggled. "Don't worry, we all do it. I send your father the dirtiest messages when I'm bored in meetings. He's learned not to read them when he's in surgery."

Holy hell. Emmett's face was priceless. He didn't know whether to be proud or disgusted. "Ma!"

"What? I'm just telling him I get it. Edward, pick out a vegetable." How she went from talking about sexting my father to telling me to get a vegetable was beyond me. That was just my mother.

Xoxoxoxox

"They're both beautiful," my father said, flipping through Emmett's catalog of pictures of Rose and the couple he had of Bella. He made a sound and held out the picture of Bella and I that my mother had lost her shit over. "She is your one."

"I told you!" Emmett shouted, even though he was sitting right across the table from him.

Dad laughed. "I never doubted you, son, it's just easy to see here." He handed Emmett back his phone.

Emmett turned to me. "You should have taken a picture of Rosie when she was yelling at me. They'd have seen she was my one, too."

I snorted. "The way you too went from fighting to kissing back to fighting again made it hard to focus on anything, let alone take a picture. With your luck I would have gotten her hitting you or something."

Emmett nodded proudly. "Passion! She's very passionate for and about me."

My mother laughed as my dad patted her hand. "She sounds a bit like this one." I took a sip of my drink and sat back to wait for it. Dad had told this story dozens of times. "I'll never forget the first time I laid on eyes on her. We were in the parking lot at the Northwestern University Library. It was freezing out and I finally found a parking space up front. I took it and got out of my car and the next thing I knew, there's a car parked directly behind me and out steps this gorgeous woman." He smiled as my mother glowed at his compliment.

"You stole my parking space," she told him as she wrapped some noodles around her fork.

"Which is exactly what you said to me, although I believe you threw the words fucking and asshole in there for good measure," he replied, which made all of us laugh. That we could easily imagine. She just raised an eyebrow but didn't challenge him on that.

"She got up in my face and starts jabbing me, shouting about what a jerk I was and how I needed glasses if I couldn't see her." He smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "All I could do was stare at her, those snapping green eyes, that perfect red mouth spitting profanities at me, her curly hair bouncing around with each shake of her head."

"His first words were, 'You're my one.' I had no idea what in the hell that meant and I wasn't about to stop my tirade to find out."

Dad laughed. "No, she wasn't. She just kept right on about how chivalry was clearly dead and she saw my anatomy book in the backseat and that set her off on egotistical doctors thinking the world revolved around them and how clearly I'd make a perfect one so she hoped that was my major."

Mom smiled. "I was a drama major, so of course I had some flare."

"Flare," my father snorted. "You were stunning with your rosy cheeks and angry eyes. I couldn't stop staring at you."

I loved this story every time I heard it, but even more now that I had my Bella. I just got it now. Emmett was enthralled and not even eating as he listened.

"I finally wound down and that's when he took my hand in his and introduced himself. 'My name is Carlisle Cullen and you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I'm sorry I took your parking spot. If you'd like to move your car, I can let you have it.' I didn't know what to say."

Dad chuckled. "I stunned her into speechlessness. That's only happened once in the thirty years we've been together."

She laughed and shook her head. "It was your voice. There I'd been yelling at you for all I was worth and your voice was calm and the sexiest thing I've ever heard." She grinned at me. "You come by that voice of yours naturally."

Oh God. That was something I did not want to think about. "And then he asked you out?" Emmett made a choking noise and I saw him staring at his phone. He quickly shoved it back in his pocket. I wondered what that was all about.

Dad nodded. "Since she was speechless, I decided to press my advantage before she got loud again."

"Hey!" She nudged his arm. "He said, 'or we could get in your car together and I could take you to breakfast to make up for my faux pas.'" She giggled. "He actually said that, 'faux pas.' I didn't know whether to laugh at him or to smack him."

"So she did both," Dad supplied. "Then she pointed out that the only thing she knew about me was that I was a rude parking space stealer, a future doctor and that I had a rich boy name."

Mom shrugged. "Carlisle is a rich boy name."

He kissed her cheek. "Yes, love. So I told her if she wanted to know more, she should take me up on my offer. I pointed out that she'd be driving, so I wasn't going to kidnap her or anything, that if anybody should be worried it should be me."

She laughed. "I told him I knew how to handle myself just fine and I wasn't worried about it, but why would I want to go to breakfast with a parking space thief?"

Dad grinned. "I pointed out that she was obviously intrigued by me as she hadn't let go of my hand since I'd introduced myself. She looked down and saw that was true but didn't let go."

Mom smiled. "He took his other hand and brushed the hair out of my face. He wasn't wearing gloves and his hand should have been cold but all I felt was heat."

Emmett laughed. "Dad's got the Cullen magic touch."

Dad nodded. "I had it way before you did, kid. She told me her name was Esme and led the way to her car. Breakfast turned into lunch and into dinner. We spent something like ten hours in that little diner talking and getting to know one another better." He grinned at my mom. "She drove me back to my car after we finally got kicked out of the diner and I followed her home. We were inseparable from that day forward."

Mom laughed. "I think I fell in love with you somewhere between lunch and dinner."

Dad lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "I know I fell in love with you before you finished calling me an asshole for the first time." He turned to us. "I know we've told you this story a bunch of times but I figured you needed to know how fast it hits. It happened with your grandfather and his father too. One look and you're pretty much done."

Emmett nodded. "I know, Dad! I mean, I knew that I wanted Rosie the first time she called and wanted to rip Eddie a new one for hurting Bella." I winced at that, still grateful that I hadn't been the one to answer the phone. "Then, we get in their apartment and there's the picture of the three of them on the entertainment center. Rosie was all I could see. Blond hair, perfect body, sexy bikini…" He shook his head. "Then when she walked in the damn room," he broke off when the table shook. "Ow! Ma! Why'd you kick me?"

"Language!" she reminded him.

Emmett rubbed his shin and glared at her. "Did we or did we not just hear that you called our father a fucking asshole the minute you met him?"

She smiled primly. "That was different."

"Sure," he muttered. "Anyway, she walks in and I'm totally done. I couldn't speak if I tried. She was the hottest thing ever and she said…" he broke off when he remembered how very inappropriate it was. "Well, never mind what she said, but it was awesome."

I laughed. "She sure put you in your place."

He nodded eagerly. "She did. She's the best woman ever."

"I beg to differ," I told him, picturing my Bella.

"When did you know, Edward?" my father asked.

I toyed with my pasta. I didn't really know when I knew. "I was intrigued by her from the start. She was funny and smart and sexy." That last part was a little embarrassing to mention but I wasn't going to tell them how sexy she was. "All we had was words for awhile and the more I talked to her, the more I wanted to know her."

"He was gone over her before they met," Emmett supplied. "He came home all gaga over her and I got a load of the hot picture she sent…" I smacked him. "Ow! What, it was hot! He got all defensive and was ready to kick my ass just like that when I called her hot and I knew then that she was his one. He resisted though."

"Did you?" Dad asked, laughing.

"I want to hear about this picture," Mom piped up.

Emmett grinned and I clapped my hand over his mouth. "Don't you dare." I turned back to Mom. "It wasn't dirty or anything."

He knocked my hand away. "No, it was just suggestive as hell."

I glared at him before turning back to my parents. "Anyway, yes, I resisted a little because we hadn't met, I didn't know she knew who I was and I wasn't sure how she'd react when I told her. We both had bad recent histories so I didn't really know what it would be until I sat in her bedroom and listened to her talk about me to her friend Alice. All my concerns about her just being into me because I was famous went away and when she walked into the room, then I knew."

Mom sighed. "Your story is so romantic. Meeting and falling in love without seeing each other, the fight, you driving over a thousand miles to go see her and fix it. It's like a movie." She suddenly sat straight up. "Holy shit, that would make a great movie!"

I laughed and held up a hand. "Don't get any ideas in your head, Mom. While it might be a cute movie, I would never be in a movie about my own life."

She made a face and took out her blackberry, typing away. "You don't have to be in it. It's still a fabulous idea."

I shook my head. There was no use fighting it once she got an idea in her head. "Whatever you say, Mom."

"I do, trust me." She finished typing and put her toy away. "Well, Carlisle, do you see how happy they are?"

He nodded. "You were right, dear, but then you always are."

"Let's clean up and we can get home now that I've seen with my own two eyes that you're both okay." She stood and came around the table to hug each one of us from behind and kiss our cheeks. "I'm so happy. You bring your girls to me soon or I'll be dropping into Washington myself."

She would, too. "We'll work on it, Mom. We'll be in Europe in a few weeks so I doubt we can do anything before but…"

"Graduation!" Emmett thundered. We stopped, surprised at his yelling.

"What?"

"They both graduate in May, along with Alice, right?" I nodded. "Well, we should go surprise them."

I shifted. "We'll be filming in Berlin, Emmett." I wanted to see Bella graduate, but I didn't know if I could.

"Whatever, Movie Star, demand a few days off so we can fly to Washington and be with our girls. Mom and Dad can come up and meet them. We can meet their families. It's perfect."

"I don't know if I could go to something like that," I muttered. "I'm trying to protect her from the press, Emmett."

"Whatever." He waved a hand. "Do you know how many people graduate at those things? Nobody would know you were there for her, if they noticed you at all. You could always say you're researching a damn role or you have a cousin there or something. Nobody would know."

The idea did have its appeal and Mom looked positively thrilled. "I can talk to Bella and see."

Mom squealed and threw her arms around me. "Yes! Find out when it is and we'll clear our schedules." She shot a look at my father who held up his hands in surrender. "If Danny gives you a hard time on giving you a few days off, you have him call me."

Danny Boyle was my director and I knew he'd probably work around my schedule. It looked like we'd be going to graduation. "Okay, Mom." Hopefully Bella would be on board.

Xoxoxoxox

After we cleaned up and my parents cleared out, I all but ran to my room as Emmett laughed at me. Whatever, I heard him saying "Rosie" just as I shut and locked my door. I had the phone ringing before I even sat on the bed.

"Hello, Edward," her sweet voice came over the line.

"Hi, Bella. It's so good to hear you."

She laughed. "I'm the one who's relieved. I was afraid you'd be grounded for being a big, bad spaghetti thief."

I chuckled. "She wasn't that mad and we distracted her with talk of you girls, which is why she really came over."

"Really?" she asked, her voice going up an octave. "What did you tell her?"

Sweet Bella, don't you know? "I told her how beautiful and smart and funny you are and how happy you made me. Of course, she saw that for herself."

She made a sexy gasping noise and I smiled. "She did, huh?"

"Oh yeah. Emmett took a couple of pictures of you and she agreed that you're beautiful. She can't wait to meet you."

Bella laughed nervously. "Well, we'll have to see when we can arrange that."

I wondered if she was going to like this. "We actually kind of have."

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"Um, Emmett came up with the idea of us going to your graduation and Mom was all over it."

She hummed into the line. "Could you do that? I mean, people would see you."

"Well, if anybody notices me, I could say that I'm there for a family member or something. We'll figure it out. Is it okay with you if we come? I'm assuming your dad will be there and will want to meet me at some point."

She let out a strangled laugh. "Uh, yeah, he wants to meet you."

Shit. "You talked to him? What did he say?"

"Well, he was kind of fatherly about the cabin thing, so I may have let him think that we'd be sharing with Rose and Emmett and a couple of other people."

I laughed. "You may have, Bella? More like you did."

"Okay, so I did! He was a little blown away that I was dating you and I had to tell him how we met, which he wasn't thrilled with since he's a cop and hears all those stories about people meeting people on Craigslist and one of them getting killed and whatnot."

I couldn't blame him. "Well the fact that I'm famous should put him at ease a little bit, right? Killing you would be bad for my career."

She giggled into the line. "I'll be sure to point that out."

"Did you mention Europe to him?"

She sighed. "Yeah, I did. That went over less well than the cabin, but he didn't tell me I couldn't go. Just that he has concerns."

Of course he did. He was a dad to a beautiful young woman. "Well, maybe coming to graduation would be a good thing. He could meet me and I could put his fears to rest."

Bella laughed. "It couldn't hurt, I suppose. And if your parents are there, he'd have to be on his best behavior."

"Do you think you could get us tickets?" I asked, because I had no idea how many they got allotted or whatever.

"Oh yeah, that won't be a problem. If Dad brings Sue, I'll still have two left over and Rose's parents aren't coming so she'll have all four."

"Rose's parents aren't coming?" That really sucked. My parents would have been in the front row screaming and carrying on just like they had been in high school.

"No, they're not exactly a close family and they just told her to buy herself something nice." Bella made a noise. "Hence our shopping trip."

"Oh yeah, the shopping trip. Are you going to tell me what you bought?"

"No, I'd rather wait and show you."

Damn. "Why don't you show me now?"

She laughed. "And how am I supposed to do that?"

I grinned. "Skype, baby. That's the one form of communication we haven't used."

There was a pause and I waited for her to respond. "You want to Skype with me?"

"Hmm, do I want to look at my beautiful girlfriend, hopefully wearing one of the things she bought today? Yes, I think I do."

There was another pause. "Okay, give me ten minutes. Same login I always use."

"Okay, see you then, Bella."

"Bye, Edward."

I hopped out of bed and grabbed my laptop, booting it up as I changed into a t-shirt and my boxers. I didn't know if we'd be having Skype sex but if she was wearing what I hoped she was wearing then I didn't doubt it would happen. I couldn't wait to see what she had in store for me.

* * *


	29. Chapter 29

I may or may not have bounced on my bed while I waited for Bella to join me. I turned on the video chat for the first time in ages. Sometimes I logged on when I was on tour and chatted with Mom this way, but it was rare. Easier to use a phone. It wasn't easier to do so when I knew my sexy girlfriend had been shopping for hopefully very sexy things to drive me insane, though. My imagination was good but I'd much rather have the visual.

The weird Skype alert sounded and I saw my request from my Bella. I couldn't click accept and add to friends fast enough. The video came up but all I saw was her bed and her headboard.

"Baby?" I asked, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice. I failed miserably.

I heard a giggle and then saw a long sexy leg appear on the bed. I gulped and watched as the leg lowered onto the mattress and a cute foot filled the screen.

"Bella, you're teasing me," I pointed out with a pout.

That sexy laugh sounded again. "Haven't you ever heard of building the anticipation?" she asked.

"I've been anticipating you ever since I left yesterday morning," I whined. "It's been thirty-six hours, baby. That's way too long."

The foot disappeared and my girl's gorgeous face filled the screen, she was leaning right in front of her camera and I couldn't see anything else. "Yes, it has been way too long," she agreed and the next thing I knew, she was on her bed and she was wearing, oh my hell. Immediate hard on.

"Bella," I breathed. She was gorgeous. She was in some short red and black lacy number that barely covered her thighs, which meant I had a view of a lot of leg. There were two thin straps that held it up that would be very easy to be rid of when I got her alone. Her breasts were barely covered by black lace. "Fuck, baby, you look amazing."

"I thought you might like it," she told me, smiling shyly. How she could do that, look like pure sex but still blush and appear innocent was beyond me. I loved it.

" _Like_ is the wrong word, sexy. I love it. Are you going to wear it for me this weekend?"

She laughed and tilted her head. "For as long as you'll let me wear it."

She knew me well already. "It will be my very great pleasure to take it off of you, baby."

Bella smirked. "I'm sure I'll get some pleasure out of that, too."

"Never doubt that, beautiful. I'll make damn sure you enjoy it."

She laughed and bent forward, giving me a nice view of her cleavage as she picked up the computer and set it on her lap. No more sexy legs to view but lots more sexy Bella, for which I was thankful. "You were too far away," she told me.

My heart ached. "I am too far away. I miss you so much, Bella."

She bit her lip. "I miss you, too, Edward. It's weird because we only had that short time together but it feels like part of me is gone now."

Oh, I got it. "It's not weird, Bella. It's just us. We fit so of course there's a piece missing when we're not together. You've been on my mind since the moment I left, and you were obviously on it while I was there." I grinned as she laughed.

"I was obviously on something when you were here."

God, I adored her. "And I want you on it again, baby. Especially dressed like that."

Bella smiled. "Then you better get your cute ass up here as soon as you can."

"Sixty-five hours and counting, love. We're getting there."

She nodded. "Shopping with Rose and Alice killed a little time. Class doesn't really help, because I get bored and think of you."

Oh yeah? "And just what do you think about, Miss Swan?"

She grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I believe I asked, so yes, I want to know."

"Demanding one, aren't you?" I scowled at her but couldn't keep it up because her gorgeous brown eyes were dancing with merriment and her smile was impossible to resist. "Well, today I was thinking about the things I was going to be shopping for and what your face would look like when you saw them."

I loved that. "Really? You were imagining my expression while you were supposed to be paying attention to your teachers? Miss Swan, you are a naughty one."

Her face was priceless. She looked like a little kid who had a secret she was dying to spill. "What has you so squirmy, baby?" She was seriously wiggling around, which was a nice visual with those perky breasts of hers clothed in nothing but a thin layer of fabric. Was it silk? Satin? Whatever it was, it looked soft and I wanted to touch it, badly.

"You'll see!" she told me, giggling.

"Oh, Bella, you are one giant tease. I might have to take you over my knee and give you that spanking the instant I get you alone." Like I'd take the time to do that. The moment that we were inside that cabin I was going to be inside her. That two or three hour ride from Seattle was going to test my will as it was.

"Mmm, I have better uses for your hands the minute we get in the cabin."

Fuck me. She made me unbelievably horny all the damn time. I hope that never went away, though it might be a problem when we were able to spend all our time together. I believed that would happen someday. I just had to be patient.

"Yeah? What would you like these hands to do to you, Bella?" I held them up and watched as she visibly trembled and licked her lips. Oh yeah, I had the same effect on her as she did on me, thankfully.

"I could show you," she told me and the next thing I knew, she was trailing her right hand down in between her breasts. Holy shit. This was really happening and she was initiating it. She was my dream come true. She cupped the left one and squeezed it. I felt my own hand mimic the motion. "What would you want my hands to be doing, if yours were touching me here?" She cupped the other breast as well and dragged her thumbs over her nipples. I could see them poking through the soft material.

I moved the computer next to me, so she'd have a side view, and palmed my cock through my boxers. "I'd want your hands right here, baby."

She let out a sexy moan. "Then that's where they'd be, Edward." She shifted and gave me a new view, moving the computer further away so I could see her upper thighs. Her right hand traveled down her stomach, moving ever so slowly toward her pussy. I gulped and watched as she stroked herself through the material. "I'm not wearing anything under here, you know," she told me, smiling softly. She was so stunning like this. The confidence she had when she was with me was such a giant turn on.

"I didn't know. Will you touch yourself, Bella?"

She smirked and licked her lips again. Taunting me even more. "I will if you will, Edward. Do you have my lotion?"

That was a crazy question. I may have sniffed it every time I came into my bedroom. I was like an addict for her smell. Better that than something like coke, though, right? It was a little freaky maybe, but harmless. I reached for the bottle and held it in front of me. Her delighted laugh made me grin. "Right by my bed, Bella. Did you have any doubt?"

She shook her head. "Have you used it yet?"

"No, at least, not to get myself off. I've smelled it a time or two." Or ten. "I wanted to suggest we use it earlier but then Mom came over." That made her laugh again and I glared at her. "You enjoy me getting the third degree?"

"Sort of, but not when it interrupts our potential playtime," she told me. "Of course, I was with Rose so I couldn't have played then anyway."

I chuckled. "Oh, I don't know, baby, you could have tried to be super quiet in a dressing room while I told you all about what I wanted to do to you." She moaned and I pictured it. Of course, I pictured myself in the room with her instead of on the phone like I would have been. "Would you let me into your dressing room with you, Bella? To help you try something on for size?"

"Edward," she murmured and I watched as her hand slipped below the material. Hell yes. I yanked off my boxers and squirted some lotion into my hand.

"Imagine if you'd tried that on with me sitting right there watching you, Bella. Do they have mirrors in those rooms still?" What did I know? The majority of my clothes were sent to me by designers.

"Yeah, a big one from the floor to the top of the door and another medium sized one on the wall."

I stroked my cock. She eyed it hungrily and then, without my asking, lifted the material covering her thighs up to her stomach so I could watch her touch her pretty pussy. I moaned at the sight of her fingers sliding along her clit. So fucking hot.

"So when you put that on, I'd have to touch it, to feel how soft it was on your skin. Would you like that, Bella?"

"Yes," she managed, her voice getting breathier. Her skin was starting to flush. She was so turned on.

"Mmm, well I'd run my hands up and down your sides, feeling the way it molded to your perfect body. Do they have chairs in there?" She nodded mutely. "I'd sit there, touching you; your breasts, your stomach, your legs. I'd reach up and stroke your pussy while you stood there, modeling for me, biting your lip like you're doing now, baby."

Her gorgeous eyes were glazed and she was focused on me working my cock. It was hard not to just come at the picture I was creating but I had to get her off first. "I'd take my cock out, Bella. There'd be no way that I could just touch you, looking like that. I'd need to fuck you."

She gasped and her fingers slid inside her. So fucking hot. I wanted her to get out her toy but this would be over before it began if we did that. "Would you let me fuck you in the dressing room, Bella?"

"God, yes," she told me, working her fingers faster. I saw her thumb brushing over her clit while she fucked herself with two fingers.

"Sit on me, Bella, take me inside you." A loud moan came from her and I could see it, could see her sinking onto my cock in my mind. Fuck, I was going to come too soon. "Can you see us in the mirror, baby? Can you see yourself riding me?" That brought forth an even louder moan and a nod. "How sexy is that, beautiful? Knowing that there are other people just outside? You have to be so quiet, but you don't want to be, do you? Not with my cock inside of you."

"So hard," she said. I didn't know if she was talking about my cock or her trying to keep quiet while I fucked her but both were apt.

I worked my cock a little faster. I could fucking smell her and see her and I just couldn't touch her but I could imagine it. Oh yeah, my imagination was working overtime. "Look how beautiful you are, baby. Riding my cock while you wear your sexy little outfit, my hands on your ass, squeezing it as I thrust inside you."

She gasped. "Yes, Edward." It wouldn't be long now. I already knew her body so well.

"Somebody knocks on our door, asking if you need anything. Do you need anything, Bella?"

She shook her head. "Just you. Only you, Edward."

Only me. Fuck. I was so ready to come. "That's right, Bella. You have me. All of me, thick and hard inside you. Can you feel me?" She moaned and started working her clit harder. "Do you like knowing there's some lady only a few feet away, with no idea what I'm doing to you inside that little room?"

Bella nodded and bit her lip. "Such a naughty girl, baby. I squeeze that tight little ass of yours harder as you bounce on me, your beautiful tits right there in my face. Do you want me to suck on them, love?"

"God, yes."

I chuckled at her eagerness. "I slide the straps down your arms and reveal your perfect breasts, sucking hard on the left nipple. You taste amazing, Bella."

She moaned and threw her head back and thrust against her hand, her lips falling open and her body coming apart. Hearing her moan, seeing her come was enough to set me over the edge and I erupted on my chest. Should have taken off my shirt, but I couldn't be bothered to care. When I could see again, I whipped it off and wiped my hands on it before tossing it toward the hamper. I couldn't care less if it made it; I was too focused on my perfect girl.

"Holy shit, Bella. You're so beautiful."

Her face was flushed and her eyes met mine. "You're the beautiful one. The sexy, creative beautiful one. Edward…jeez."

I laughed at her dazed expression. "What can I say, baby, you bring out the exhibitionist in me."

She giggled. "I can see the headlines now. Edward Cullen Arrested For Public Indecency, Gets Freaky In A Dressing Room."

I grinned at her. "At least that'd be something Emmett never got busted for." Mom might even be okay with that one, so long as the girl was my Bella.

She shook her head. "You're so bad."

"You're the bad one, baby. Look at your outfit. How am I expected to be good when you're wearing that?"

Bella laughed. "You're supposed to be very good when I'm wearing it. Mind-blowingly good."

God, I loved her. "I can do that, baby."

"I know you can. Jeez, what you do to me with words. I wouldn't think it could get any better than that if I didn't experience it for myself already."

"Lots more of that to come, Bella."

She grinned. "I'm counting on it."

I settled back onto my pillow and rested my head on my right hand. "Me too, sweetheart." She smiled at the term of endearment and pulled the computer back closer to her. Time for a subject change before I got hard again. "So, was it really that bad with your dad?"

She made a face. "It wasn't horrible. He didn't yell much, other than at first when he realized that I'd given out personal information over the computer." I wondered what he would think of our Skype session but I didn't want to get shot so it was best that he never, ever knew. "I think if you do come for graduation, it might make things better and might prevent him from hunting us down at the cabin."

Perish the thought. "If he meets me and doesn't hate me…" I broke off and just made myself ask. "Are you going to come to Berlin with me?"

Bella laughed. "Do you really have to ask that? I want to spend as much time as I can with you before school starts. I was hoping I could fly back with you if you do come for graduation."

Hell yes. "Absolutely, baby. Just give me dates and times and I'll make sure it's done."

She shook her head. "So willing to please. I love it. I mentioned it to Alice and Rose…" she broke off and bit her lip.

I had a feeling I knew what she wanted. "Bella, do you want them to come with us?"

She shrugged but I could see a tiny smile on her face. "Kind of. I mean, I think my dad would be happier about it and I think it would do Alice some good to see that even though I'm with you, I'm not going to forget her or leave her behind or whatever. She's been a lot better since you came up and I know she's sad, seeing me and Rose getting so caught up with you and Emmett. I'd just like to include her if I can."

"Sweet girl, of course you can. Emmett would be over the moon if Rose would come and I'd love for you to have some company." I made a face. "It's selfish of me to want you with me. I'll be working ridiculous hours and you'll be alone all day long. I just have to have you there, baby."

"Edward, it's not selfish!" she protested. "I want to be with you, even if I only get nights and weekends. I'll take whatever I can get. Please, don't call yourself selfish ever again. You're the most giving person I've ever met."

Her words warmed me, as always. "I'd give you anything, Bella. And I promise that I'll find a way to get some time off while we're there. I'll get Emmett to blow up the wrong thing if I have to, throw off the filming schedule."

She laughed hard at that. "You will not, Edward Cullen. You'll do your job and do it well and I'll be right there waiting when you're done."

God, how much did I love that idea? It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her to always be there, to leave school and just come with me and study over the computer or something. I didn't know if she could do that and it would be ridiculously selfish of me to ask that of her. She deserved to have her life and career, just like I had to have mine. We'd find a way to make them work, together.

"Okay, baby, that'll get me through the long days anyway."

She chuckled. "I think you'll survive."

I would, but that didn't mean I wouldn't complain about it. It was time to tell her that I'd be spending a few months in England too. "I know I'm being silly, but I need to get as much of you as I can before you start school in September."

"Late August, actually," she told me.

Damn it. Why so early? "They want me to do a movie in London in September."

Her face fell a little and I wished I could reach through the screen and touch her. "What movie?"

I shrugged. "No title yet, an English period piece with a bunch of great actors. Colin Firth, Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet." Bella looked impressed. "Marcus thinks it's Oscar material. I haven't read it yet."

"That's great, baby," Bella told me. "I can't wait to see you in old timey clothes. Will you speak with an accent?"

I laughed. She managed to make me laugh even when I was feeling like shit for having to be away from her for longer. "I think so. I'm actually bringing the script with me to the cabin. I thought you might like to read it with me."

Bella's face lit up and she was so beautiful it took my breath away. "I'd love to! That sounds like fun."

How perfect was she? I couldn't imagine any other woman from my past being excited over reading a script with me, unless there was a part in it for them. "I'll read my part in the accent for you." She bit her lip and I laughed at her expression. "You like that, do you?"

"Accents are sexy."

"So are you, Miss Swan." I used my best British accent and I swear she swooned. "Do I need to worry about losing you to some European this summer? Maybe you should stay home."

She giggled and shook her head. "It's the combination of the accent and you, Edward. Your voice…" she broke off and shivered. "You could probably speak caveman and it would still turn me on."

I laughed my ass off. "You're so damn cute. I'll work on my caveman just for you." Her eyes darkened and I saw a blush steal across her cheeks. She liked that, did she? I'd be happy to throw her over my shoulder and carry her off to my cave, or the nearest bedroom. Whatever worked.

"You spoil me," she murmured.

"I've only just begun, baby."

She smiled. "I love the sound of that." I did too. And I knew I needed to do something special for her at the cabin. I wanted everything to be perfect when I told her about the one, and that I loved her. I'd probably need Emmett's help so that we could stay hidden. I wanted the cabin to be just about the two of us, a little more time in our bubble before reality came crashing in.

"Me too." She yawned and I knew it was time to let her go. "You need to get some sleep, sweetheart."

"I know, but I don't want to."

I didn't either. I wanted to pull her into my arms and hold her as she slept. Two days of that had not been enough. "I know, baby. Neither do I, but we'll talk tomorrow, and we'll be one day closer to being back together."

That turned her pout into a smile. "That's true. Maybe I should just sleep the next few days away."

I laughed. "If you did that, we couldn't do this again."

She giggled. "That would be a travesty. Tomorrow night?"

Oh yeah. "Will you show me something else you bought?"

Bella threw back her head and laughed with delight. "You can't see it all before the weekend, greedy boy." I pouted and she continued to giggle. "How about if I wear this again?"

Like I would complain about that. "Okay, if you insist on making me look at you in the same thing twice in a row."

"You suffer so for me, Edward."

I heaved a sigh. "That I do. I'll endure it, because it's you."

"That's big of you."

"I'm a big guy."

That set her off into new gales of laughter. It was intoxicating. "Go clean yourself up, big guy. I'll talk to you in the morning."

I grinned at her. "Okay. Goodnight, baby."

"Goodnight, handsome."

I logged off and hauled myself out of bed. Time to get a shower. Tomorrow I'd have more time with my girl. At least we had a new avenue of communication we could explore now, and I could see her as well as hear her. Less than three days and I'd be touching her, thank God.

Xoxoxoxox

I woke up and saw I'd missed a text from Bella. She must have really early classes. _Good morning, sunshine. I woke up with a big smile on my face. Two days now. I can't wait._

Just the thought of my girl with a smile was enough to make me smile myself.

**Good morning, princess. I wish I'd seen that smile for myself, but I'll content myself with the fact that in two short days, that smile, along with the rest of you, is all mine. Text when you can.**

I opened up Words and nearly choked at the word JUICE played off SEMEN. My girl was trying to kill me.

_I thought it was a good word since you get my juices flowing with little more than a word. Well, maybe it takes more than one word, but not many. Especially when you mention spanking. Who knew I was such a freak in the sheets? You bring it out of me, Edward._

I laughed out loud at her freak in the sheets comment. My girl was quoting Usher now. She killed me.

_I can handle anything you can give me, handsome. Anywhere, anytime and anyplace, remember? Even if it's a dressing room. For now, I suppose we'll have to make do with those ten or so places in the cabin. I guess that can keep us occupied at least part of the time._

Lord, I was going to have a stroke one of these days from the shit she said. But oh, what a way to go.

_By the time you read this, it'll be only two days from now. I'm ready and waiting for you._

I was more than ready for her now, too. Damn it. I needed to calm myself and wait for the real thing.

At least I could play a word that was fitting. MESS off the M in SEMEN. She sure made a mess out of me without even trying.

**You mention your juices flowing and I turn into a mess, or I make one. This time I refrained. I'd rather make a mess when I have you to get dirty with, baby. Want to get messy with me later?**

**I love that you're a freak in the sheets, Bella. I wouldn't have you any other way than you are. The way you trust me and are so open…fuck, baby. Last night when you started touching yourself I nearly exploded right there. I've never wanted anybody the way that I want you and I never will again.**

**So my girl wants to break in a dressing room, does she? Can we go shopping for sexy things? Though you could probably be trying on a parka and I'd still find you sexy as hell. I'll take you anytime, anywhere and anyplace baby. I can't wait to prove that to you. See you soon and talk to you sooner.**

xoxoxoxoxo

The past few days had felt interminable but finally we were landing in Washington. Emmett had called in some markers from some fellow stunt buddies and gotten us out of LA on a private plane. We'd taken off out of John Wayne and managed to avoid the press that would have been waiting for us at LAX. Em rented a tinted black SUV and we rushed to the girls' apartment.

Bella and I had Skyped each night and while it had satisfied us temporarily, my body was literally buzzing the closer I got to her. Emmett didn't even have the car turned off before I was out of it and tearing up the stairs. Bella had to have been watching out the window because she was out the door in my arms as I reached the top. Her arms and legs were wrapped around me and her lips were on mine. I was with her and I was whole again.

* * *


	30. Chapter 30

"Are you ready to go, baby?" I managed when I finally tore my lips from Bella's. I was sorely tempted to just carry her into her bedroom and let my brother and Rose go to Mt. Rainier alone. We'd be just fine here.

Her beautiful face was glowing with happiness as she nodded. "All packed."

I grinned at her and kissed the tip of her nose. "Did you pack everything?"

She giggled. "Everything I could possibly need."

Well, what she needed was no clothes and her little blue car, but I figured she might object to that just a bit. Still, I had to be sure. "Are you sure you got everything? Maybe we should go check." And spend just a little time alone.

"Oh, fuck no; you two are not going into the bedroom together. We'll never leave."

I reluctantly pulled my gaze away from Bella's beautiful face and took in a scowling Rose standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. "I'm just trying to be thorough," I told her, giving her my most innocent smile. It even worked on Mom about half the time.

"I'm sure you'd like to be thorough which means it would take hours for us to get out of here. Are you aware that your hands are on her ass?" Rose asked, her eyebrow raised.

Hmm, it seemed that they were. I grinned unrepentantly and gave Bella's cheeks a squeeze. She laughed and wiggled her way down my body, which was a real shame. We didn't let go of one another though and my hand may have been on her ass again. I probably wouldn't be able to stop touching her. Thank God Em was driving.

"Rosie!" he shouted and ran past us. He scooped her up and she smacked at his arms.

"Put me down, you asshole," she demanded.

"Is that any way to greet your man after a long absence?" he asked, releasing her and smiling brightly at her annoyed face.

"First, you are not my man. Second, it hasn't been a long absence. How in the hell am I supposed to miss you when you text me constantly and send me shit? What is the meaning of this, by the way?" She thrust a teddy bear dressed as a police officer into his arms.

Emmett let out one of his booming laughs. "I thought, after your text, you'd like him. He came with handcuffs and everything."

"I have my own handcuffs," Rose told him.

Emmett smiled. "Did you pack them?"

"I packed all sorts of things," she replied mysteriously. "You and your brother load our shit in the car. I'd do it but I figure these two will sneak away to fuck if left unsupervised."

Emmett looked at us and laughed. "Yeah, they probably would. Why don't we make them pack and we'll slip away unsupervised?"

Rose made a strangling noise and shook her head. "Just pack the car, dumbass."

"You can only resist me for so long, Rosie. I have nine whole days," he told her. "Where's the luggage?"

Wordlessly, she gestured down the hallway. Emmett headed that way and Rose leveled a look at me. "I guess I better get busy." Hell, the faster we got there, the faster we could actually be alone and I could touch Bella like I needed to. I was jonesing for her in a major way.

"Okay." Bella gave me a quick kiss and I released her, which was the last thing I wanted to do. Only for a couple minutes, I reminded myself, as I entered the apartment and grabbed the two bags that my brother couldn't carry.

"What in the fuck do you have in here, Rosie? Bricks?" he asked as we headed out to the car.

"All the better to brain you with," she told him, which earned her more delighted laughs. She waited until my brother was halfway down the stairs and then called to him, "Actually it's full of sex toys." He stumbled but managed to catch himself before he fell.

"Do you think she's fucking with me?" he asked as we got to the car.

"Yes," I told him, setting Bella's bags next to mine. I liked that. It was the first of many times I hoped to do the same thing.

"Maybe I should open it and see," he said, his fingers fiddling with the zipper.

"She'll kick your ass," I warned him.

He sighed and let it go. "Fine. I'll wait. But if she doesn't show me herself and I hear something buzzing, I'll break down the door."

I snickered and shook my head. "Please don't piss her off and get yourself kicked out of your cabin. I have plans that require being alone with Bella."

"I know, bro. Rosie talks a tough game but she wants me just as much as I want her. You'll be lucky if you see us at all."

Lucky. Yeah right. I'd consider myself lucky if he didn't show up before tomorrow morning begging for a place to stay. "Just behave, Emmett."

"Okay, Mom." He rolled his eyes and shut the back door. We turned to head back in but Bella and Rose were coming down the stairs, carrying a couple of coats. I'd had to buy one myself, we didn't really need heavy jackets in Southern California but it was supposed to be cold and possibly snow this week. I hoped it did. I'd love to watch the snow falling with Bella curled up against me next to the fire. Naked. We were naked in most scenarios I had for the week. I had issues, I knew it, but I couldn't help myself.

Emmett popped the back door open again and we put their coats in. "Ready to go?" I asked, wrapping my arms around Bella.

"Yes," she replied, leaning into me. Rose echoed her sentiment. I opened the back door and gestured to Bella to get inside. She did and I slid in next to her. Our legs were touching and my arm was around her.

"Hi," I told her.

She giggled and grinned up at me. "Hi, back." Then we were kissing, because her lips called to me. I couldn't stop myself.

"Jesus Christ," Rose said from the front seat. "Are you going to make out the whole way to the mountain?"

"Yes," I managed when I stopped kissing Bella a minute or so later.

"Let them have their fun," Emmett told her. "I'll take care of your lips as soon as we get there."

"My lips are fine, thank you very much."

"Yes, they are," he agreed. "They're soft and sexy and…" he broke off with a grunt when she punched his arm. "I was just agreeing with you."

"Whatever. Are we going or what?"

Emmett started the car and backed out of the parking space. "Do you think they're going to survive this week?" Bella asked me quietly.

"I hope so. He can be a pain in the ass but I kind of like my brother," I told her.

She giggled. "Kind of, huh?"

"He adores me," Emmett informed her. "Just like you will, sis. Hey, when's your graduation?"

"May twelfth," Rose told him. "Why?"

Emmett didn't respond, he just whipped out his phone and made a call. "Hey, Ma. We made it. Yes, we have the girls. Rosie hasn't kissed me hello yet but she'll come around." He winced when she smacked him again. "Their graduation is May twelfth. Can you clear your schedules and maybe call Danny and get me and Edward out of filming for a few days?" Rose was gaping at him but he ignored her. "Okay, thanks Mama. We'll call you when we get there. Yes, I promise." He laughed. "Edward's too busy kissing his girl to talk right now." A pause. "Mama, I am not embarrassing him. Alright, fine, I'm sorry, Edward."

I laughed and shook my head. Bella was blushing but laughing along with me. Rose was just staring at my brother like he'd grown two heads. "You heard me apologize." A snort. "What do you mean it didn't sound believable? He's barely come up for air since we got here. I doubt he noticed or cared." He heaved a sigh. "Fine, I'll stop talking about him getting all the action while I get none." He coughed. "Shit, you heard about that?" Ha, he was in trouble for something now.

"It's not, that was before…I didn't mean to swear. Damn it, Mama. I mean, shit, I mean…poop." He was stuttering and stammering all over the place. "You're embarrassing me now, Ma. I have to go. I'm driving. You don't want me distracted while I drive, do you?" She said something that made him laugh. "I've never done that while driving." He side-eyed Rose and mouthed the word "yet." "Okay, we'll call you later. I love you, too. So does Edward. Bye Ma."

He hung up and shook his head. "Mom doesn't trust me."

I laughed. "What did she hear about?"

Emmett glanced at Rose and shook his head. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing." I laughed. Sure.

"Wait a minute," Rose shook her head, coming out of whatever daze she'd gone into. "Why are you clearing your schedules to come to our graduation?"

"Why wouldn't we want to see our girls graduate?" Emmett asked innocently.

"I'm not your girl. I guess I can see your parents coming here to meet Bella, though."

"Rosie, you are my girl. The sooner you admit it, the sooner we can get on with the fun part. Not that this isn't fun. I rather enjoy your temper, but I'd like to enjoy it with you naked as well." That got him another hit which made him laugh. "Our parents want to meet you. Both of you." He said that last part clearly. It was fascinating to see how Rose reduced my smooth brother into a truth spewing fool. Normally Emmett handled women with way more finesse.

Bella smiled at me. "I can't believe your parents want to come to graduation."

"They do. I want to be there, too. It's not every day my girlfriend graduates from college." She was so beautiful and looked so happy. I kissed her again, running my fingers through her hair. Her arms tightened around me.

"They can meet Bella. I'll say hi, but they're not coming for me," Rose told Emmett.

"You can claim that all you want but they're coming to meet both of you." The joking was gone from Emmett's tone. "I heard that you don't have any family coming to graduation. That's just fucked up, Rosie. So we're coming for you. We'll be your family, if you'll let us." He'd had a fit when I'd told him what Bella said about Rose's parents. Wait until Mom heard. She'd probably send her hitmen to take over the cruise ship and retrieve them from their vacation.

Holy shit, my brother's words penetrated my skull. Had he really just told her we'd be her family? Bella's mouth fell open and Rose gasped. "Pull over," she demanded.

"Rosie, I…"

"Pull the fuck over now, Emmett." Her tone left no room for argument.

He did as she asked; pulling into some shopping center we'd passed. She took off her seatbelt and Emmett started to panic. "Rosie, don't freak out, okay. It can just be…" But he didn't get any further before her lips were on his and the two of them were kissing as if the world was about to end.

Bella giggled at the sight. I loved it when she laughed. I buried my nose in her hair and closed my eyes, breathing her in. Who knew how long it would be before they came up for air anyway? Bella's hand moved up and down my back, stroking me lightly.

A few minutes later, I heard movement in the front. I opened my eyes and peeked, hoping it was Rose moving away from my brother instead of mounting him. I was right, thankfully. Emmett cleared his throat and started the car. "Well, then, we can go, yes?"

"Yes." Rose put her seat belt on and smiled. "I'm honored that you'd share your family with me like that."

"What's mine is yours, Rosie." I was afraid he was going to propose to her then and there.

She smirked. "Even the Venom?"

Emmett shook his head but laughed. "Yes, even the Venom. I love that that's more important than my family."

Her smile faded. "It's not. It really isn't. That's the kindest thing anybody's ever said to me." He reached out and Rose slid her hand into his. This was an interesting development. She must not have been quite as okay with her family's disinterest as Bella had led me to believe. Bella looked shocked.

"We'll be there cheering you on, Rosie. You have my word on that," Emmett promised.

"Thanks, Emmett." She squeezed his hand. "Let's go. We have a cabin to get to."

Emmett looked like he was about to pop with excitement as he floored it. "Yes, we do."

Xoxoxoxox

We stopped and grabbed dinner at McDonald's about halfway there. None of us wanted to deal with dinner tonight. I wanted to get into my cabin and make love to Bella all night without interruption by hunger or anything else. About half an hour from the mountain, Emmett pulled into a shopping center to get groceries.

"Anything you want?" he asked me. I, of course, had to stay in the car so I wouldn't be seen.

I looked at Bella and grinned. "Apples. Lots of apples."

Emmett looked confused but nodded. "Okay. Bella?"

She was giggling. "Um, just bread, milk, cheese, peanut butter, you know the staples." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a list. "And everything on there, please?" What was that about? My brother scanned the list and nodded. "I can come in and get it, actually," Bella told him. I tightened my grip on her. I didn't want her to leave.

"I'll help him. You can stay here with lover boy," Rose told her, bless her. I probably should buy her several cars.

"Yes, I like that idea," I interjected before Bella could protest.

"We've got it covered," Rose assured her. She and Emmett walked hand in hand into the grocery store.

"That's a shift," I murmured.

Bella smiled sadly. "He offered her family, something she really hasn't ever had from what she's said. Her parents trotted her out like a show pony for fancy dinners and whatnot but they couldn't be bothered with things like birthdays, school recitals and stuff like that. I'm pretty sure she wants that more than anything."

Well, she'd have it. The Cullens were a tight bunch and if we had our way, both of them would be Cullens in the not too distant future. "Our parents are excited to meet you. Hell, if she wanted, I bet our grandparents would be here too."

Bella shook her head. "Let's not overwhelm her. She's always been close to my dad and Alice's parents but I knew it would be hard on her to see us with them and not have family of her own around. It means a lot to her that you guys will be there." She smiled. "It means a lot to me, too. Are you sure you'll be able to swing it?"

I brushed my fingers over her cheek. "I'll make it happen." If I had to wear a disguise, I would. Anything to be with my girl on her big day.

"You're incredible," she murmured. I shook my head as her lips captured mine. She was the incredible one. The way she made me feel…I was so lucky. Her mouth opened and her tongue met mine. I moaned as our kiss heated and Bella shifted so that she was straddling my lap, her knees pressing against my hips. I moved forward on the seat so she could be where I needed her, against my already hard cock.

I reached under her sweater and palmed her breast. She moaned and thrust against me. Damn I wanted her. Did we have time? Emmett in a grocery store could take awhile, but Rose might keep him in line.

Bella moaned and moved against me and I started to worry that I'd come in my jeans. My brother would have a field day with that one. I reluctantly stilled her hips but kept on kissing her. She grumbled in protest against my lips. I laughed and pulled back. "Baby, you know I'm dying to take you here and now but my brother and Rose could come back any minute."

She actually pouted at me. "So?"

"So, I don't fancy my brother seeing any part of you that's for my eyes only."

That seemed to appease her and the pout vanished. Instead I got a bashful smile. "Sorry. I've been dying to jump you since I jumped you outside my door."

I chuckled. "Don't you ever apologize for that, beautiful. I'm in the same boat, believe me. I thought about telling Em and Rose to take the cabin and just leave us there for the week."

She giggled. "I would have been okay with that."

I brushed her hair out of her face. "Me too, but you deserve better than that. You've been cooped up in that apartment for too long from what you've told me. Let me give you the world." I could and I wanted to so badly.

Her eyes darkened and her lips were hard on mine again. My hands were on her ass before I could stop myself and yes, I met her thrusting hips with my own. Her hands were in my hair, tugging, and I could feel her squeezing my thighs with her knees. Could I make it another hour without her? I reached between us and started to flick open the button on her jeans. At least I could make her feel good before…

"Fuck, I should have known better than to leave you two alone!" Rose's voice had us jumping as she yanked open the door and set down a couple bags of groceries. Emmett came up next to her with a loaded cart and they piled in stuff.

"We got alcohol," Em told me with a dimpled grin, not even seeming surprised or bothered by Bella's position on my lap. She sighed and edged away from me, fastening her jeans button back up. Damn it.

"You're gonna need it," Rose muttered, jerking her arm away from his when he tried to touch her. What in the hell happened now?

"Come on, Rosie, it was nothing."

"I can't believe you fucked her!"

Fucked who? What? Surely he hadn't hooked up with someone in the store, not that it would have surprised me before he met Rose. "It was before I met you, baby. How can you be mad about that?"

Well that was good anyway. I glanced at Bella who was watching the two of them with avid interest. They were like our own little reality show.

"She's a skank, that's how I can be mad about it!" she told him, setting down more groceries and then throwing a magazine at Bella and me. "Can you believe he was with her?"

I glanced at the _Vogue_ she'd tossed our way and saw Gianna on the cover. Oh, yeah. How the hell did she know about that?

"Um…" Bella shrugged. I didn't say a word. I wasn't getting sucked into that one.

"Seriously, look at her! Her tits are fake, anybody can tell that's a dye job, she's had her eyes done and God knows what else," Rose sneered.

Holy shit, was she jealous? "Rosie, baby, she's got nothing on you. That's why you don't need to get worked up about it. It was just one night and she actually wanted Edward anyway."

I spluttered as all eyes landed on me. What the fuck? Thanks Emmett. "Hey, don't drag me into this, I was in Paris!" Bella gave me a side eye and I shrugged. "I don't even know her! Why is this about me?"

"Because if you'd been there, I wouldn't have fucked her," Emmett told me, like it was my fucking fault.

"Yes, you would have because I wouldn't have and you like taking on women who are interested in me." I tightened my arms around Bella who was frowning. Great. "You asshole, why'd you bring me into this?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Desperation? Sorry." He smiled at Bella. "He really had no interest in her. When I told him about her, he was already talking to you and said that he wouldn't have hooked up with her anyway. I swear. Scout's honor."

"You were never a scout," Rose told him, knocking his little peace symbol out of the way. "It's sick that you take your brother's rejects."

"Just two!" he muttered. She pushed away from him and headed around to the front seat.

I eyed Bella. "You're not mad, are you?"

She shook her head and looked down at the picture. "She's beautiful." Her tone made me nervous.

"You're beautiful and real. You've had me almost from word one, Bella." She smiled at that and I hugged her to me. "Please, don't let that shit upset you. You're the only woman I want."

"I know. It's hard to believe, but I know."

I ignored Emmett and Rose entering the car and held her face in my hands. "I'll make you believe it every single day, baby."

Bella smiled up at me. "You don't have to, Edward. I get it and I know there will be days that women like this get to be around you and I'll be far away. I trust you, though. I know you'd never…" she broke off before finishing the thought. Good. I didn't like that thought anyway.

"I'm glad you trust me, love. I swear I'd never do anything to hurt you, especially that. You know how I feel about cheating."

She nodded and brushed her hair off her shoulders. "I know. You'd never put anybody through what we both went through."

"No." And she was the only girl for me from now on anyway. I'd never want anyone else, of that I was sure. I'd be reminding her of that as often as I needed to this weekend and beyond.

She tossed the magazine behind us and curled into me. "Well then, that's settled. Are you two going to kiss and make up now?" Rose scowled and Bella laughed at her. "Seriously, you can't be mad about something he did before you met and you just told him that he wasn't your guy a couple hours ago."

"That was before," Rose muttered. Before he told her he was coming to graduation and offered to share our family with her.

"Rosie, I know I did a lot of fucked up shit. I can't take it back. Frankly, I don't want to." Emmett flashed his dimpled smile at her and she frowned at him. "I had a lot of fun passing the time until I found you. Now I'll have a different kind of fun with you, if you'll let me."

Rose sighed and closed her eyes. "I can't take it when you say things like that," she admitted quietly.

Emmett reached over and touched her cheek. She opened her eyes, watching him warily. "Get used to it. You heard Mr. Smooth back there. It runs in the family. We've all got silver tongues." He wagged it at Rose and she laughed.

"That better not be all your tongue is good for." Oh, hell.

Emmett's laugh was loud as hell. Bella joined him and I shook my head. "Trust me, Rosie. You may hate my past but it's good for some things, I promise." He punctuated that with a lick of his lips.

Crap. "Would you just get us to the cabins so you can show her?" I asked impatiently. Seriously. Every minute of this was taking time away from me and Bella.

"That, my brother, is a very good idea. Ready Rosie?" She nodded and he turned the engine on. "Next stop, Mt. Rainier."

"Thank God," I muttered.

Bella laughed and gave me a kiss. "Our vacation's finally beginning." We were just beginning and I was ready to enjoy every minute of it. Em pulled out of the parking lot with a loud squeal of tires. Here we go.

Xoxoxoxox

"Here are your keys." Emmett and Rose came out of the lodge and he handed me and Bella each a key. "They took care of everything we asked," he told me and I nodded. Bella eyed me curiously but I just smiled at her. I had plans and I wasn't sharing.

Emmett put the car in drive and wound his way through the dirt path that led to the cabins. It was a nice ride and I admired the leafless trees and brown earth. It was definitely colder up here and Bella was curled into me taking as much body heat as she could. I'd grabbed a blanket and laid it over us. I couldn't wait to do that in front of a fire.

"That's ours," Rose pointed to cabin 14, which we drove past. It looked exactly like it had in the pictures, big, rustic, and isolated. "And this is yours." Ours was about a quarter mile away, exactly the same, though it was right next to a river. I loved it. Bella took it in with wide eyes and a big smile.

"This is beautiful," she told me.

I smiled and kissed her nose. "I hoped it would be. Ready for a week alone with me?"

Emmett stopped the car and went to the back. "You can have most of the week alone, but we'll be seeing you. We're doing dinner together on Sunday night."

"And drinking," Rose said with a laugh.

I glanced at Bella who smiled. "Sounds good to me."

"Alright then." I got out and grabbed a couple bags, as did Bella. Rose and Emmett carried some of the groceries for us. I unlocked the door and smiled at the homey feel of it. There was already a fire burning, they'd obviously come over and done it for us before check-in. I set our bags by a comfortable looking gray couch. I could see the pool table, which gave me a number of ideas, and a set of doors that led out to the porch and the hot tub. Oh yeah, I couldn't wait for that either.

Bella and Rose made a beeline to the kitchen. "We're just gonna put some things away," she told me. I wanted to tell her to hurry and push Rose and Emmett out the door but that was just rude.

"This place is awesome." Emmett clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Listen, I really am sorry I said that shit about Gianna. It was a defense mechanism. Rosie reminds me of Mom sometimes."

I laughed because it was true. And we both were quick to point the finger at one another when it came to Mom. "It's fine. She and I need to talk about stuff like that. It won't be easy on her, this life I lead."

"Nah, Bella can handle it. She knows all about it, right? She followed all that shit about you in the press and whatnot. It won't be fun at times, but she knows you love her." I glanced around frantically hoping they hadn't heard him and he stared at me. "She doesn't know?"

"I'm telling her tomorrow at dinner. That's why I asked you to arrange it, dumbass."

"Okay, you haven't told her, but she knows. She's a smart girl and she sees how you are with her. She feels it. Rosie knows; she just isn't ready to admit it. But I'm getting there." He grinned.

"Yeah, one step forward, five steps back."

He shook his head. "More like two forward, one back. She's letting me in and now she's thinking about my tongue. It won't take long."

Christ. "Would you guys get out of here? I'd like to be alone with Bella."

He laughed and smacked my back again. "Okay. I get it. Rosie!" he shouted. "Let's get a move on! You, me, hot tub in ten minutes!"

She came out of the kitchen smirking. "I was thinking me, bubble bath, candles and a good book. You can play pool or watch TV." She walked past him and out the front door, waving at me on the way.

Emmett was smiling like a fool. "What are you grinning about?" I asked him.

"Rosie's going to be naked feet away from me. What's not to smile about?" he demanded. "It's on. See you tomorrow at seven?" I nodded. He had to pick up dinner for me, since he had the car and I wasn't officially here and all. "Later, Eddie." He clapped my back again and then he was gone and we were alone.

"Bella?" I called, because she hadn't come in from the kitchen. I swore I heard her talking but when I went in there I found her smiling at the stove. "Baby, what are you doing?"

"This kitchen is amazing! Granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, glass top stove…" she ran her hands over said granite and I felt jealous. Of rock. I had issues.

"I'm glad you like it," I told her, trying to keep the impatience out of my voice. She caught it though and came over to wrap her arms around my waist.

"Did I tell you I'm very talented in the kitchen?"she asked, running her hands up my back.

And now I wasn't so jealous. "I believe you might have mentioned that," I told her, steering her toward the countertops she'd been fondling.

"Would you like me to show you?" she asked.

I really hoped she was talking about what I thought she was talking about and it wasn't cooking. I lifted her onto the counter and she grinned at me. I'd planned on carrying her into the nearest bedroom and having my way with her but if she wanted to christen the kitchen; I was more than okay with that.

"I'd love for you to show me," I told her, moving between her legs and reaching around her to squeeze her ass. "I thought you'd want to start our tour in the bedroom."

She giggled and slid her hands around my shoulders. "It's been four very long days, Edward. We can take our time and tour every room but right now I'd like you to fuck me in the kitchen."

I couldn't speak because her words sent all the blood and oxygen and whatever else down to my groin but I managed some garbled noise before I crushed my lips to hers. My hands were back on her jeans and this time there was nobody to stop me, so I opened the button and the zipper and started tugging as she arched her hips off the counter. I managed to get them down around her knees before they stopped moving. "What the fuck?" I asked, tugging.

Bella laughed, delighted with me. "My boots," she managed to choke out. Damn it. I reached down and got them off after much too much wrangling and then the jeans came off and got tossed across the room. My shirt followed them and then so did Bella's sweater. She was practically naked on the counter, wearing nothing but some very sexy black underwear and bra set. I touched it, feeling the silky lace beneath my fingers.

"Edward," she moaned, thrusting against my hand. "Now, damn it." Right. I could admire all the pretty things she'd bought for me later. Now I needed to be inside her. She reached behind her and unclasped her bra, tossing it across the room before I could register what she was doing. There they were; her perky, beautiful breasts, her nipples hard from the cold air and probably the cold as hell counter. I kicked off my shoes before whipping my jeans and boxers off. I was as hard as that fucking granite her perfect ass was resting on.

"These are hot," I told her, touching those lacy panties again.

"They cost a fortune. I told Rose I'd scream if you ripped them off me." Fuck me. Now I wanted to. "She said damn right I would." Was that a hint? Yes, yes it was. They were these tiny strings and it wouldn't be hard to just…I gave them a tug and heard a ripping noise. Bella moaned loudly. Alright then. I tugged harder and they split in my hand. I did the same thing on the right side and tossed the ruined underwear behind me. Bella was breathing heavily, her eyes dark as night and her breasts heaving.

"Was that what you had in mind?" I asked. If it wasn't, I owed her a new pair. Hell, I'd buy her as many as she wanted.

"Yes," she told me, her voice rough. "Now make me scream."

Christ, she would be the death of me. I gripped her thighs and spread them wide, pulling her close to the edge before I thrust deep inside her. She let out a loud, keening moan. Not quite a scream, but we'd get there. I pushed into over and over again as she gripped my back, pulling herself onto me.

"Edward, oh, God," she yelled as I worked her clit while I fucked her. That was definitely a scream. She threw her head back and I bit her neck, not too hard but probably not gently enough either. Before I could apologize she shouted my name and came hard around me. Holy fuck, she was so tight around my dick. I thrust a couple more times and let go.

When I came down, Bella's head was on my shoulder and I was holding her against me, both of us breathing heavily. "I was wrong. You're the one who's talented in the kitchen. Masterful even," she told me.

I laughed and kissed the top of her head. "I think I owe you some new underwear."

She lifted her head up and grinned at me. "It was totally worth whatever Rose spent. You don't owe me anything."

Oh, but I did. I owed her everything. I kissed her gently and slipped out of her. She whimpered against my lips and I kissed her again before pulling back. "Now that we've thoroughly explored the kitchen, I'd like to take you to the bedroom and thoroughly explore the bed. Does that work for you?"

Bella laughed and nodded. "I think I could get on board with that plan."

"I thought you might." I lifted her off the counter and carried her back into the living room, turning into the first bedroom I came across on the right. I pulled down the covers and laid her on the bed before sliding in beside her and taking her back in my arms. "Thank you for coming with me."

She smiled and touched my cheek. "Thank you for being with me when you could be with anyone."

I shook my head. "Only you, Bella. You're my one."

She tilted her head. "Are you going to explain that?"

I grinned and kissed her. "Tomorrow night, I promise."

"I'm holding you to that." I kissed her again and she melted into me. Tomorrow night she'd know that I loved her and hopefully never doubt what we had now and what we'd have forever.

* * *

****


	31. Chapter 31

I woke to the sun shining and a naked Bella in my arms. If there was a better way to wake up, I couldn't think of it. I nuzzled her neck and smiled as I remembered ravaging her in the kitchen followed by making love to her in the bedroom. We'd fallen asleep shortly after and I'd slept better than I had all week, since I'd left her. I had no idea what in the hell I was going to do when I left her to go home and then to Berlin. It was going to be a long five weeks until her graduation.

She stirred a little as my lips trailed over her shoulder. "Edward," she murmured sleepily.

I nipped the curve of her neck. "Good morning, baby."

She turned her head and looked at me over her shoulder. "It most certainly is." She arched her back, stretching, which achieved the result of pressing her perfect ass against my morning wood.

I groaned and rubbed myself against her. "Are you taunting me this early in the morning, Miss Swan?"

"I told you it's never taunting or teasing if you intend to follow through, Mr. Cullen." She lifted her right leg and tossed it over mine, opening herself to me. Jesus. She was hot for me first thing in the morning. There was no man alive as lucky as I was. I rubbed my cock against her and found her wet and ready.

"Bella," I moaned into her ear as I slid inside her. She blew out a breath and stretched around me. So perfect, so beautiful. I wanted to start every day just like this.

I nibbled on her earlobe as I slid in and out of her. It wouldn't take long. She felt too good and I didn't know what I'd been dreaming about but it had obviously been stimulating. Or maybe that was just my Bella. Either way, I was already on the edge. I reached around her and rolled her clit between my fingers as I thrust deeper inside her. Bella's head fell back against my shoulder. "Yes, Edward." Her body fit with mine perfectly as I moved within her. I pinched her clit gently and she moaned loudly. It wouldn't be long now.

Bella raised her leg a little higher and the angle I was able to take her hit home. She began to shake and shiver as she clenched around me. I buried my lips in the crook of her neck as I came with her. So fucking good, every single time. She was beyond my imagination. I loved her more than I ever thought possible.

I slipped out of her and tightened my hold on her. "I love you." I blinked when I felt her tense in my arms. Shit. I'd said that out loud and blown all my plans to hell. It'd been there, right on the tip of my tongue so many times but I'd managed not to say it and here I'd blurted it out as I came down from perfect sex.

Bella pulled away from me and I started to panic. "Bella, I didn't…" she turned around to face me and the words died on my lips as I looked into her eyes. I couldn't take it back; after all, it was true. And I didn't regret them, only that I hadn't been looking at her face when I said them, because the way she was looking at me was just…everything. Her wide brown eyes were searching my face and I saw tears beneath her lashes. Her mouth was open in a small "o" and her skin was flushed and glowing.

"You love me," she murmured.

It didn't sound like a question but I answered anyway. "Yes."

And then a smile formed, the most beautiful smile that I'd ever seen in my life. It lit up her entire face and her eyes and just the whole damn world. "I love you, too, Edward."

The muscles in my stomach that had been in knots released, the tension gone at those five little words. I kissed her, swallowing her giggle at my reaction. Her hands were buried in my hair and I was on top of her. It was like I couldn't possibly get close enough. "I love you, Bella," I murmured, over and over as I kissed her lips, her cheeks, and even her nose.

She said it back, between kisses, as she tugged on my hair, seeming to want to be closer as well. "I'm such an idiot," I managed when we both took a much needed breath. "I had all these romantic plans; dinner and candlelight and a bubble bath and I blurt it out right after we have morning sex."

Bella's eyes were shining and her laugh moved through me. "It was sweet that you wanted to do that, but I like the way you said it. It's like you couldn't wait anymore." She slid her hand down my back. "I've been trying not to say it all week long, thinking I had to wait until we had more time together or until you said it first or whatever rules I was supposed to follow according to Rose." What? She smiled at my expression. "Never mind, it really isn't important. I should have told you before you left, or yesterday when you came back to me."

I shook my head. "What a pair we are. I nearly said it so many times before I left or on the phone or on Skype," she laughed at that and I joined her. "Okay, maybe it wasn't meant for our Skype sessions, but I felt it and it was hard to contain."

Her fingers brushed over my cheeks. "I'm just glad we don't have to wait to say it anymore."

I grinned and kissed her again. "I'll say it to you every day." For the rest of our lives. "I hope you'll still let me spoil you with dinner and candlelight tonight."

She smiled. "I'd love for you to spoil me with dinner and candlelight. I don't think I'll ever say no to something like that. Are you cooking?"

What a thought that was! "God, no, baby. I love you; I don't want to kill you." She laughed hard at that one. I loved to make her laugh and smile. Every day, I'd see to it that I did that as well. "I arranged for the restaurant at the lodge to make us dinner. Em's going to pick it up." And he and Rose would have their own dinner as well. I hadn't told him that yet. Hopefully it'd make them both happy.

"I'm glad you don't want to kill me," she told me. "I love you and I want to cook for you, but we'll do that another night."

God, those words. Who knew that those simple words could bring me to my knees? "I look forward to it, love." Her smile widened when I called her that. Love. I felt like I could say it a billion times and it wouldn't be enough. I was a sap, I knew that, but it felt so good seeing it returned, hearing it said back.

"Me, too," she told me, kissing me softly.

I ran my fingers through her hair and held her to me. We could spend the entire day in bed and I'd probably be quite content with that. "What would you like to do today, baby?"

"Hmmm, well, more of this for sure," she suggested. I laughed and kissed her neck. Was it any wonder I loved her? "I'd like to curl up in front of the fireplace and read your script, too, if that's okay?" Her cheeks were pink. Was she embarrassed?

"I'd love that, Bella. I brought the London one and six romantic comedies that Marcus wanted me to read over." I made a face. "They think I should try that genre to take a break from the action and drama pieces. You can pick my next project."

Her eyes widened. "Really? You trust my taste that much?"

I laughed. "Of course I do. Who's my biggest fan, who found me when nobody else did?" Her cheeks got redder and I stroked the left with my thumb. "I'm glad that you did, baby. I can't imagine never meeting you." She was my one. If she hadn't searched for me…no, it didn't bear thinking of what my life would have been had she not found me.

"I guess sometimes a stalker is a good thing," she told me, biting her lip.

I laughed. "You can stalk me anytime. How about you stalk me into the shower?"

She giggled and smacked my arm. "You're such a perv."

"A perv for you, baby."

"Well, get your sexy ass up so I can follow it into the shower," she told me.

I chuckled but did as she asked. Her eyes were all over me as I stood next to the bed. "Who's the perv now?"

She giggled. "I'd say it was the guy standing around naked without a care in the world. Give you a raincoat and we have a flasher situation."

She killed me. "I'll show you a flasher." I yanked the sheets off her naked body and she yelped as the cold air hit her skin. "See, flasher." She hopped up and ran after me as I laughed and darted toward the bathroom.

There wasn't much room to run and she had me cornered in no time. She was sexy as hell, naked, her eyes flashing, cheeks flushed and her hair all mussed from sleep and sex. I leaned against the bathroom counter as she stalked toward me. "It looks like I caught my very own pervert," she told me with a smile as she caged me within her arms. I could have gotten away, but why on earth would I want to?

"And what will you do with me now?" I asked her, running two fingers up her forearm. She shivered from my touch.

She tilted her head and studied me. "Perverted things, I suppose. You have to be good for something."

"Well, we've already established that I'm really good in the shower. Would you like to try me out in there again?"

She laughed and pulled back, crossing her arms, pushing her breasts up to tantalizing heights. "What more could you possibly prove in there?" she asked.

It was a valid question. "I could make you come three times?" I asked, because I think two was our most in the shower so far.

She reached over and flipped on the water, her ass brushing against me. I groaned and felt my cock stirring again. It was just that fucking easy with her. "Alright, big shot, show me what you got." She was in the shower and crooking a finger at me. God, I loved her.

"Challenge accepted, Bella." I was in and it was all hands and lips and wet, slick bodies. And I made her come four times, adding one for good measure. It was the least I could do for the girl I loved.

Xoxoxoxox

Bella started laughing and I glanced up from the script that I hadn't even gotten a page into yet. "You're laughing already? That might be the one then."

She shook her head and clutched her belly. "It's not the script. It's this note." She cleared her throat. "Jennifer Love Hewitt will be playing the part of the clumsy waitress. She trips over her voluminous fake boobs and spills coffee in the lap of our hero." She burst into gales of laughter. "Who wrote this?"

I laughed with her. I hadn't thought to warn her about Marcus' notes. "My agent, Marcus, has a habit of casting certain actors and actresses that he doesn't care for as characters that are either useless or die or something. In _Wild at Heart_ he had Tom Cruise playing the part of my horse."

That set her off again. She was so gorgeous in jeans and a flannel shirt, curled up on the couch, her hair up in a ponytail and her feet tangled with mine in front of the fire. It almost felt like we were a married couple doing our thing at home. I loved it. One day this would be our life. Maybe I should buy a place somewhere cold so we could have fires like this. Colorado maybe? Canada?

"I get the Tom Cruise thing because who doesn't think he's nuts, but why Jennifer Love Hewitt? I thought only women hated her."

I snickered at that one. "I guess she came to him for representation and he was less than impressed. He turned her down and then she got that part on _Ghost Whisperer._ He carries a grudge even though he didn't want her."

She giggled and shook her head. "I think I like Marcus."

I tugged on her foot. "I know he'll like you."

"Yeah?" she asked, raising a brow. "Your people don't have a problem with me?"

I set my script on the coffee table and took hers and put it there as well. We had plenty of time to read. "No, they really don't. Marcus has zero interest in my personal life as long as it doesn't affect the bottom dollar. Kate's the only one I thought might have a problem but she just wants to see me happy."

Bella shifted so that she was lying between my legs, both of us turned toward the fire. I wrapped my arms around her. "She's your publicist?"

"Yeah, that's Kate. Her husband, Garrett, is my business manager. He negotiates deals, endorsements, appearances, stuff like that. Mom heard they were the best in the business and she got me hooked up with them early in my career."

"That's good, that she was looking out for you."

I smiled. Like Mom would have it any other way. "They all do. Kate's on board with whatever we want to do." Bella turned so she could see my face. "If you want us to go public, we can. If you want to remain a secret, we can try to do that, too." I hated that option and Bella made a face. "I'm not in favor of that either. I don't necessarily want to put your name out there but I do want to let the world know that I'm taken."

Bella started playing with my fingers. "What do you think would happen if they did get my name?"

I touched her chin and her eyes met mine. "I think, initially, they'd try to find you, maybe get pictures of you going to class, try to get pictures of you talking to guys and saying that you're cheating on me." Bella looked horrified and I laughed. "I'd know better, of course, but happy couples are boring. First we'd be the flavor of the month, and then they'd look for us to break up because that's more interesting than a happy couple in love."

Bella smiled. "I like being a happy couple in love."

"And so we will be." I had no doubts about that. "How do you feel about it?"

She screwed up her face. "I don't know. I value my privacy but I want to be with you. I want us to be able to go places and do things and I know that will mean photographers and fans and stuff. I guess for now I like the idea of you saying you're taken but not giving up my name yet." She made a face and I ran my thumb over her lip. "What about Berlin?"

"What about it?"

"Are we going to be able to go anywhere together when you're not working? I guess that's when it might come up."

I wanted that, but it would be a problem. "There are ways. Secret entrances to clubs and restaurants and stuff that will let us avoid the press. But…" I broke off and Bella stared at me.

"But what?"

"Cameras, videophones, Twitter…I can't stop people from taking pictures of us or tweeting my location and the fact that I'm with someone. There's a reason why I tended to just go straight to the hotel when I wasn't at a premiere or an interview when we started talking." I smiled at her, because she was the best reason I'd had to be anti-social. "A reason beyond wanting to get back to my room so I could see what my sexy stranger had to say, that is."

Bella grinned at me. "Oh yeah? You weren't just anxious to talk to me?"

I kissed her cheek. "I was incredibly anxious to talk to you. It was the highlight of my trip, by far."

She kissed me. "I love that."

"I love you," I told her, because I couldn't say it enough.

"I love you, too. But beyond that, you didn't want to deal with the fans and the press."

"Yeah," I shrugged. "I had invites to clubs and restaurants and shit like that but it's honestly more of a pain in the ass than a good time." I touched her cheek. "Granted, it might be different with you, Rose and my brother. I know I'd have fun with you, but I guarantee someone would post a picture of us somewhere."

Bella nodded. "Does that bother you?"

"Only in so much as they'll be after you then. I'm used to it." I sighed and told her exactly what scared me the most. "I'm afraid that it'll be too much for you and you'll decide you don't want to deal with it, with me and my life."

Bella gasped and grabbed my face in her hands. "Edward Cullen! I don't care if the press camps out on my doorstep and follows me into class, I will never, ever, not want to be with you."

I closed my eyes as her words and the passion in her voice washed over me. "I'll do anything I can to prevent that from happening, Bella. If it comes down to it I can get you a bodyguard or…" I broke off when her lips descended on mine. My arms tightened around her and I let Bella take all the fear away from me.

She pulled away but kept her hands on my face, staring into my eyes. "I know that dating you won't always be easy. You'll be far away filming, you'll be kissing beautiful women as part of your job," I winced at that but couldn't deny it. "There's the press and the fans and women everywhere who want you." She grinned. "I was one of them after all." That made me smile. "But I know you love me and I love you. I know we'll find a way to bridge the distance. We'll talk on the phone, Skype, email and play _Words_." She laughed as I grinned at the mention of our game. "Did you think I'd give that up now that I have you? I live for your dirty little messages."

"I live for yours," I told her, because it was true.

"Good. We can make it work, Edward. I don't want a bodyguard unless things become insane. I doubt thousands of paparazzi will descend on the U-Dub campus to take pictures of me. They've got way cooler targets in LA." That was true. I knew there'd be some, but they'd be more interested in getting pictures of the two of us together than stalking Bella through her classes.

"I love that you're so calm about this."

She shrugged. "I've given it some thought, of course. For now, I want to enjoy the time I have with you. When we decide to come out or get outed as a couple, we'll deal with the fallout. And even if it's a pain in the ass, it'll be worth it at the end of the day if I get to be with you."

I pulled her in for a long, hard kiss. "I love you, Bella Swan. You're absolutely perfect for me."

She grinned and touched my nose. "That's right. Don't you forget it."

"Never, baby."

Xoxoxoxox

"Hey, bro, is the coast clear?" I smiled as I opened the door to Emmett, who was loaded down with bags.

"Yes, Bella's in the tub." Part one of our night was underway. She was taking a bubble bath with candles. It was hard to tear myself away and let her take it alone, but I needed to set up out here and I figured we could take a bath together soon.

"And you're down here? Sad man, very sad." Emmett shook his head.

"Whatever, just bring the stuff in." I led him to the table, where I'd already set up candles and plates and glasses and whatnot. All we needed was the food. The stereo was already playing some instrumental love songs.

Em started unloading containers of food. "Here's your steaks, potatoes, the salad and of course, dessert," he waggled his eyes at me and I laughed. "Though I imagine you've already had dessert several times by now." He sounded envious, so I figured I'd better ask him. I found a bowl and put the salad in there, mixing it with the dressing and setting it back on the table.

"Are you saying you haven't yet?"

Emmett sighed. "No. She's driving me insane. One minute we're there, I mean, we're kissing and touching and I think we're about to start getting naked and the next she's holed up in the bathroom or something. I don't get it. She wants me, I know she does."

I laughed at his confidence but he was right. "From what Bella's said and the way she reacted in the car yesterday, I don't think she knows how to let you in, Emmett. Don't ever tell her I told you this, because I don't want my ass kicked, but I'm betting she's scared."

Emmett snorted. "Scared? My Rosie? Have you met her?"

I rolled my eyes. "Think about it, Em. She's got a fucked up family, and from what Bella's told me, she doesn't really let herself go with a guy. She'll date them but she never puts her heart on the line. Why do you think that is?"

He frowned. "Because her parents suck ass and she doesn't know how to love?"

Well, sort of. "I think she does. She loves Bella and Alice; you can see that much in how she defends them. I just think it's hard for her to trust and it takes awhile. You've got to show her you're not going anywhere and that you love her. Explain 'the one' to her."

He grinned. "I can do that. I'll start with dinner tonight. Thanks for including us, by the way. I thought I'd just bring back some sandwiches, not filet mignon. So you're telling Bella tonight, huh?"

I laughed. "About 'the one', yeah. I already told her I loved her though." Emmett chuckled. "It just slipped out after…" I broke off and he laughed harder.

"Oh, I'm sure I know when it slipped out, little brother." I smacked him and he just smirked. Yeah, like I could hurt him. "Seriously, though, I'm happy for you. You look like you won the lottery, so I'm guessing she told you she loves you back."

"She did." I couldn't contain my grin. "We talked about going public a little bit." I took the potatoes out and cut them open, letting the steam rise as I put on the butter and then added cheese. Bella liked cheese; I knew that from practically our first word. I did the same with the broccoli; because that was the only way I'd eat it, smothered with cheese. Mom learned early on that I'd put up with just about any food as long as it had cheese on it.

"What did you decide?" Emmett asked curiously as he opened the steaks, putting one on each plate. They smelled amazing.

"Well, nothing officially. I'm going to announce that I'm off the market in that _Rolling Stone_ interview and then we'll go from there. I want to take her out when she's with me in Europe and I don't know how I can do that and keep her protected. She doesn't want to hide away and I don't want that either. It's frustrating." My voice showed my irritation and Emmett clapped a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey. We'll all be with you and I'll keep the press away."

I laughed because I didn't doubt it, though I did doubt he could do so without getting into some kind of trouble. "It's not just the press. Some idiot in a restaurant will take pictures of us and have them on the net before we finish the appetizer."

Em frowned. "That's true. I guess, well, what did she have to say?"

"That it wouldn't drive her away. It's easy for her to say now, though, before she experiences it."

"No, Edward. That girl's not going anywhere. She's your 'one', which means you're her 'one', too. We'll deal with the press, but you two have to live your lives together." He looked around and smiled. "These cabins are amazing and it feels good to be away from all the shit for awhile but you can't hide from the world forever. Bella deserves to be out on your arm, walking the red carpet with you." I wanted that more than I could say. "She's a strong girl, Edward. She got through that crap with her ex. Hollywood will be a snap for her. And my Rosie will be right there with her. They'll be an unbeatable pair."

I laughed but he was right about Rose being by her side. I had faith in that. "What about the fact that they live two states away?"

He shrugged. "They can transfer or we can buy a place in Seattle. The way I figure it, they can go to school anywhere. Or if not, we can live anywhere. We travel a shitload, what does it matter if we live in California or Washington or Timbuktu?"

That was a good point. "I'll talk to her about it."

"We've got time, man. They'll be with us this summer and then we'll figure it out. Just enjoy the ride for now. Don't think it to death."

"Thanks, Em."

"No problem! Go romance your girl and I'll romance mine. Operation Win Rosie commences now." His face was determined. I wished him luck and ushered him out so I could go get Bella from the bath before our food got cold.

"Baby, dinner's here." The words died on my lips when I went into the bedroom and saw her standing there in some lacy peach concoction that took my breath away. It looked so soft and barely covered much of anything. She smiled when she saw my reaction.

"I'm almost ready." She put on a robe that matched her nightgown thingie perfectly and walked toward me as I stood there frozen. "Cat got your tongue?" she asked with a giggle when she stopped before me.

I reached out and touched her shoulder. Fuck, it was as soft as it looked. "How am I supposed to do something like eat when you're looking like this?" And now her smell assaulted me, vanilla and apricot and sheer fucking perfection. She was beyond stunning.

Another laugh. "I thought this was supposed to make you hungry." She gestured down at herself, like I wasn't looking at it with my own two eyes.

"Not for food," I told her. I bent forward and kissed her, stroking my hands down the sleeves of her robe. Fuck, I couldn't wait to feel her against my bare skin.

"Dessert comes after dinner," she told me, taking my hand in hers. I had no choice but to follow her down the hallway. She stopped when we hit the kitchen and she saw the table. "It's beautiful," she told me. The candlelight glowed in her eyes and I held her close to me.

"It's nothing compared to you, but I wanted to give you what I could."

She turned and wrapped her arms around me, making her robe and what was under it ride high on her thigh. Jesus. "You give me more than I ever could have imagined." I kissed her then, crushing her to me. Her arms tightened around me and her fingers toyed with my hair. I could take her, here and now, right back to that counter we'd broken in last night and…no. I was going to do this right after my fuck up this morning.

I led her over to the table and she smiled when she saw the red rose lying next to her plate. "You thought of everything." She brought it to her nose and sniffed it. So beautiful. I helped her to sit and grabbed the champagne I had chilling in a bowl of ice.

"I tried." I poured us each a glass and brought over the salad bowl. "Salad?"

"That'd be great, thanks." I put some in a bowl for each of us and she giggled.

"What?"

"Cheese," she told me.

I grinned as I sank into the seat next to hers. "I didn't figure you'd mind."

She laughed. "No, even though it's not Blubell." I kissed her cheek and we dug into our food. Dinner was delicious. We talked but not about anything major. What was nice was that if I hadn't told her this morning I'd probably be buzzing with nerves. I wasn't now. I was hoping she'd take 'the one' conversation well but since she loved me, I didn't see why she wouldn't.

When we finished, I put the dishes into the sink and stopped her before she could think about dealing with them. "I've got it. Take your champagne into the living room and I'll be right in." She smiled and did as I asked. I loved that she didn't argue with me. I cleaned up, loaded the dishwasher and hurried to join her. She was on the couch, lit by the fire and so gorgeous that I didn't have words for it. She'd taken off the robe and draped it over the couch, so all she wore was that little nightie held up by two slim straps, soft billowy material clinging to every curve. Lord help me, I hoped I could manage to speak.

She smiled over at me and held out a hand. I walked and took it, sinking next to her and pulling her into my arms. She snuggled into me and I held her, facing the fire. I stroked her hair for awhile and we just relaxed. This felt so good. I wanted to end every day just like this. I took a breath and tugged gently on Bella, turning her so that she was sideways on the couch, facing me. She grinned and slid her sexy, bare legs across my lap. Fuck me. Focus.

I put my hand on her thigh, because it was right there. But I wouldn't let myself move it. "Bella." I took a breath and blew it out. She watched me with interest. Okay, here we go. "As you know, I had every intention of telling you that I loved you tonight, but I already did that."

She smiled. So beautiful. "You can tell me again, though."

Of course I would. I touched her cheek and smiled back at her. "I love you. So much. More than I ever thought possible. I…" I shook my head and tried to get my focus back because all I wanted to do was make love to her right in front of the fire.

"I love you, too, Edward. I thought I was in love before but it was never like this. It sort of just takes up everything, you know what I mean? Like I'm filled with it and all I want is you."

Yes. I understood that completely. "Yes, baby. That's it exactly. And it's more than that, really." She looked confused. "I told you before I left that you were my one."

She laughed. "Yeah, you did and I still don't know quite what it means, unless you meant you loved me."

I stroked her cheek. "Yes, I did mean that but I meant more as well. There's a history in my family." She tilted her head and was listening with interest. "For as far back as we can remember, every man in my family has what they call 'the one.' Basically, the minute they laid eyes on the woman they were meant to spend their lives with, they knew."

Bella's breath hitched and her eyes filled with emotion. "You mean, love at first sight?"

I smiled. "Yes, more or less. Or maybe love at first word, in our case."

"So you're saying that I'm the person you want…" she broke off.

"The person I want to marry, grow old with, love forever? Yes, you are."

A tear slid down her cheek. "This is for real? I'm not dreaming or imagining this? You want me?"

I laughed and took her face in my hands, wiping at the tears, which I was pretty sure were happy ones. "Of course I want you. I love you, I told you that."

She smiled shakily. "I know and I'm still wrapping my mind around that and now you're telling me that it's like we're fated to be together forever."

I hoped I wasn't scaring her. "Don't you feel it?" I asked, because to me it was just there. But then again, it was my side that fell so hard and so fast and permanently.

"Yes, but it's hard for me to believe. It's hard enough for me to accept the fact that you, Edward Cullen, are my boyfriend. It's surreal."

I brushed another tear away. "I'm just me, Bella."

She laughed. "You're just you, yes, and I love you, so much. But you could have anyone, Edward." She held up a hand before I could protest. "I know what you're going to say and I'm not doubting myself. I know you love me, it just amazes me because of who you are and what you have available to you."

"I don't want anybody but you. I never will again."

Her smile brightened. "I don't think you could ever say anything that could mean more to me than that, other than I love you, of course."

"I do love you," I told her again.

"I love you, too. Tell me how it works, this one thing."

I laughed and pulled her all the way onto my lap. I wanted her as close as I could get her. "Well, with my great grandfather, it was at some party. He was with a date and he saw my great grandmother across the room with her fiancée, believe it or not." Bella's mouth fell open. "Yep. He left his date and asked her to dance. She returned the ring that night and they were married two weeks later. They were married for sixty-seven years before he passed away. She went within three months after he died."

Bella looked sad so I kissed her. "They had a long, happy life together and Grandpa Cullen swears that she didn't want to live without him. Grandpa saw Grandma at a park. She worked as a nanny and was there with two little kids. He sat next to her, asked if they were her kids and hoped and prayed that she wasn't married. She told him she was a nanny and he was really relieved."

Bella laughed. "What if she'd been married?"

I wasn't sure. "I don't know, honestly. She was meant to be his, so maybe he would have fought for her, or maybe he would have had the strength to walk away." What if Bella had been married? The thought made me sick but I thought I knew what I'd do. "If she was married and happy, I think he would have let her be. He'd want her happiness above anything else."

She rested her head on my shoulder. "That's beautiful."

"It's the truth. If you were taken and happy without me, I'd walk away."

Her head jerked up and her eyes narrowed on me. "That will never happen, Edward Cullen. I'd never be happy without you. Don't you even think such a thing."

I hugged her. "Thank God for that, because I'd hate to be miserable for the rest of my life."

"I'll make you miserable if you ever think of leaving me. If I'm your 'one,' you're mine and therefore I own you."

She was fantastic. I laughed and kissed her thoroughly. Her arms tightened around me. "Don't you worry, Bella. I'm yours forever. That's kind of the point of 'the one.'"

She regarded me with narrowed eyes. "Good. What about your parents?"

I chuckled and told her their story, complete with Mom calling Dad a fucking asshole for stealing her parking space. Bella laughed with delight. "That's classic! I love how she went with him anyway."

I rested my head against hers. "She had to. The women feel it too; they just don't necessarily know what it is until we explain."

Bella kissed my cheek. "When did you know that I was yours?"

I hummed because with us, the way we'd met, it'd been a little different. "Emmett knew before I did, honestly. When I got home and told him about you, he told me you were my 'one.' I argued with him about it a little, because I hadn't met you yet, so how could I love you? But a part of me knew he was right. I mean, I basically spent my entire trip thinking about you and longing to talk to you, even if it was only a few lines on _Words with Friends_."

She smiled. "I like that."

"Me too. I knew for sure when you walked into your bedroom, after I'd heard everything you said about me to Alice and I knew that your feelings for me were real. You were so beautiful in that black dress, Bella, but your eyes were so sad, thinking that I hated you. How could I? You're the only one for me."

She kissed me then, her lips firm on mine. She pulled away before I could deepen it. "You don't know what it means to hear you say that, Edward. When you're halfway across the world and I'm sad and lonely, I'm going to remember everything you said here and I'm going to hold on to it until I see you again."

"I'll say it as often as you need me to, Bella."

"I'll remember it, Edward," she promised and I truly hoped she would. No matter what lies the tabloids told, she needed to know that she was it for me. I slid my arm underneath her knees and stood.

Bella smiled up at me. "Where are you taking me?"

"Closer to the fire." I'd laid a comforter out on the floor and I placed her there. "I want make love to you here. I've thought about it since the first time I saw pictures of this place."

She held her arms open and I moved into them, kissing her passionately as I finally allowed myself to touch that material. It was as soft as a cloud and her skin was silky smooth under it. Bella moaned and moved underneath me. "Edward, touch me."

"I am, baby." I skimmed a finger along her collarbone, down to her breasts. "You're stunning. I don't have any words for how gorgeous you are."

She reached up and began unbuttoning my white shirt. I hadn't worn a suit, but I had put on a dress shirt and slacks for our fancy dinner during which she'd been nearly undressed. It just wasn't fair. I pushed it off my shoulders as I kissed her neck.

"Edward?" she asked as I slid the left strap down over her shoulder, my lips following the peach material.

"Hmm?" I murmured.

"Is Rose Emmett's 'one?'"

I laughed and nodded against her skin. "Yes. He wanted her the first time she yelled at him on the phone and he knew the instant she walked into the room."

Bella laughed. "That's going to be interesting."

I skimmed my teeth along her neck. "Yes, it is. He's thrilled that our wives will be best friends." I froze when I realized that I'd pretty much just informed Bella that I was marrying her one day. Not that I didn't think I made that clear with 'the one' talk but still.

Bella bit her lip. "So you're going to marry me, huh?"

Shit. I nodded sheepishly and she giggled. "Good thing. I don't think 'the one' should just be a girlfriend."

I laughed with relief. "No, she shouldn't. She should be a Cullen. Fate says so."

"Bella Cullen, Isabella Cullen, Mrs. Edward Cullen. It kind of has a ring to it, don't you think?" Fuck. If she only knew what it did to me to hear her name linked with mine like that.

"I think it does, baby." I slid the other strap down her shoulder and pulled both down, revealing her breasts. The color of the material was stunning on her pale skin and the firelight only made her more beautiful. "You're so beautiful," I told her.

Her skin took on that lovely blush I'd never tire of. "Make love to me, Edward."

"I will, baby." I got up on my knees and unfastened my pants. Bella reached forward and unhooked the zipper. I pulled them and my boxers down, standing to toss them off. I bent back over her and took her right breast into my mouth as I slowly pulled her gown off, sliding it over her hips. She whimpered beneath me as my tongue and teeth worked her nipple. I kissed my way down her stomach as I pulled the gown down her legs. I set it to the side on the coffee table and her smile made me grin. "I don't want anything happening to that."

"I'm glad you like it," she told me as I resumed kissing her stomach. Her breath hitched as I stroked her pussy. She was wet and ready for me. She arched up toward me. "Please, Edward."

"Please what, Bella?" I murmured against her skin.

"I want you inside me. I need to feel it."

I didn't need to ask her what it was. I knew. It was that connection we had. I moved up her body and kissed her as I rubbed myself against her. She moaned against my lips and parted her legs further. I was there, at her entrance, so ready to take her. I pulled back and looked at her. Beautiful brown eyes, full of love, looked back at me. "I love you," I told her as I pushed gently inside her.

"I love you, too," she told me, pulling my face back down to hers, kissing me as I slowly moved in and out of her. The heat of the fire warmed my skin but I was already warm inside just from her words of love. I linked my fingers with hers and held her hands as we moved together. It was slow and unhurried and the most perfect moment of my life. Things may not have gone exactly as planned but it was still incredible.

We came together and I held her there in front of the fire. She fell asleep with her head against my chest, her hair tickling my chin. "My 'one,'" I whispered as I pulled the comforter over us and closed my eyes. Though she was asleep, I swear she was smiling. It would always be so. I'd see to it.

* * *

****


	32. Chapter 32

"So, that's the one, then?" I asked, taking the script that Bella handed me.

She grinned and smiled. "Yes. It's funny, romantic and there's only one sex scene."

I tossed the script to the side and reached over to tickle her. She shrieked and thrashed below me which only served to get me hard again. Really, with all the sex we'd already had you'd think that I'd be sated by now but you'd think wrong. I couldn't get enough of my girl.

I pinned her to the couch and grinned down at her. "Only one sex scene, huh?"

"Yes." She bit her lip and I groaned at the sight. She didn't know just how sexy that was. "I figure it's the lesser of all evils."

Damn it. "Bella, if you don't want me to, I can…"

She shook her head. "No, Edward. I'm not going to interfere with your career. Will I like seeing you in bed with some gorgeous actress? No, but I understand it's your job. This will be good and it really is funny."

I bent and kissed her softly. She melted against me, just like she always did. She was a perfect fit for me. I pulled back and looked into her gorgeous brown eyes. "I can tell you there's honestly not much less romantic than filming a sex scene." She shot me a look that said she didn't quite believe me and I laughed. "For real, baby. You're wearing this version of a male thong that is uncomfortable as hell. There's a microphone hovering about a foot over your back. There's someone in your ear the whole time telling you to move this way, moan at this point, flex this muscle. It's so annoying."

She laughed. "Really? You don't get turned on at all?"

I shook my head and sat up, pulling her up and into my lap. I kind of hated bringing this up but it was probably the best way to reassure her. "You know how I was dating Irina when we filmed _Wild at Heart,_ right?"

There it was, that sneering face that cracked me up every time her name came up. I laughed, I couldn't help it. "Yes, I remember all too well," she said drily.

I finally stopped laughing when she scowled at me. She was just too cute when she got annoyed and possessive like that. "Well, I know you saw it so you know there were some love scenes in there."

Bella's eyes widened. "You didn't really have sex with her on camera, did you? I've heard that some actors actually do that."

I laughed so hard I nearly dropped her off my lap. She did not look as amused as I was. "God, no, baby. That's just wrong. Do you know how many people are in the room? No, thank you."

Her lip poked out a little and she was super adorable. I had to kiss her. "My point was, even though I was with Irina and at the time I found her mildly attractive…" Bella burst out laughing at my adjective usage. I grinned at her. "I didn't get turned on. It's too technical and you're interrupted constantly."

"Oh, well, that's good I guess," she muttered.

I tilted her face up so I could look into her eyes. "I mean it, Bella. From here on out, you're the only girl that's going to turn me on."

She smiled. "I love hearing that, but even I know that a dick can have a mind of its own, especially when you're mostly naked with a beautiful woman. I'm just being silly. And I was mostly joking. This really is the best of the scripts."

I glanced at it and she was right. I'd skimmed earlier and it looked like the best of the bunch. "I'll let Marcus know and get him negotiating then."

Bella leaned her forehead against my cheek. "When will it film?"

I shrugged. "Sometime next year. If I do the London movie, I'll be booked until the holidays and I'm certainly not working over those." I ran my fingers through her hair. "I have to see my girl for our first Christmas, after all."

Bella hummed and put her arms around my neck, hugging me. "I like the sound of that."

"So do I, baby." I hated the thought of being away from her. At least I'd be busy while I was. And she'd be busy as well. I had to remind myself of that.

"Where would this movie film?"

I smiled. "California. I don't see any reason it'd be anywhere else, there was no reference to any specific landmarks or locations. Though maybe I could convince them that Seattle would be the perfect setting."

Bella giggled. "I like that idea." So did I. "So, you'll be tied up through…"

I wasn't entirely sure. "Probably March or April. Then a couple months off before Italy." She looked surprised at that. "The next _Steele_ script is set for shooting then. How do you feel about going to Venice next summer?"

Her eyes widened and her smile lit up the room. "I feel pretty damn good about it, actually."

I laughed. "Yeah? Think you could work it?"

She nodded. "I think I'll make it work. I have to if I want to see you, and I do."

That wasn't right. "Baby, you'll see me. We have this summer and the holidays. I'll make sure to take plenty of time off between movies when I can." I squeezed her waist. "And you know I'll be calling you every single day, no matter where I am."

She curled into me and rested her head on my shoulder. "You can call me night or day, Edward. You know that."

Stupid time zone differences. I'd be back to cursing those very soon. And of course the distances. We'd work through it, I knew that, but I'd still hate every single day that I had to spend apart from her. Someday we'd be together all the time.

Bella took my face in her hands and kissed me. I tightened my arms around her. Her lips always felt so incredible on mine. When she kissed me, everything else disappeared. There were no worries about work and separations or anything else. She brushed her fingers through my hair and smiled when we broke apart. "We'll make it work, Edward. I'll miss you but I'm so proud of you, that you're doing so well. I'm excited to read the period piece."

I snickered and poked her nose. "Are you excited to read it or are you excited for me to read it in the accent like I promised?"

She giggled and bit her lip. "Both?"

I tickled her and she squirmed in my lap. Oh yeah, we have lift off. "See, baby? You turn me on with just a little wiggle, or a smile, or a sexy word…"

Her lips were on mine again and she straddled me. I grabbed her ass and pulled her against me. She moved back and smiled down at me. "You know, there are three other bedrooms we haven't even…" She yelped when I stood and threw her over my shoulder.

"Nothing more needs to be said baby." We had a couple hours before Emmett and Rose showed up. I knew just how I wanted to spend them. Naked with my girl. My favorite way to be.

Xoxoxoxox

"Hey love birds; I hope we're interrupting something!" Emmett called as he walked in the front door. His arms were loaded down with bottles of what appeared to be tequila and vodka. Shit. It was going to be that kind of night? Rose was carrying the food and I hurried over to grab it from her.

"Thanks. He didn't trust me with the bottles."

Emmett grinned at her and flashed his dimples. "You must admit you're a little surly today, sexy."

She growled at him and I took a step away from her, out of the line of fire. Rose turned to Bella. "A word?"

Bella raised an eyebrow and smiled at me. "Sure. You can help me with a little something upstairs."

Well that was mysterious. I shot her a look and she just smiled innocently. More mysteries. I'd leave her to it. I carried the food into the kitchen. It smelled amazing.

"What did you get?"

"Barbeque," Emmett replied, sticking the vodka in the freezer to chill. "I knew the girls would want to yammer for a bit so I figured I'd get something that we could heat up easily."

Great. "What did you do?"

He snickered and grabbed two beers out of the fridge, opening them and handing me one. "It's more like what didn't I do."

Oh boy. "Alright, what didn't you do?"

"Rosie," he replied, grinning proudly.

I shook my head. "Does that mean she wanted you to do her?"

"God yes. She's practically been panting for it since Operation Win Rosie began. She's been wearing these hot little teddies that nearly fucking had me undone but I didn't give in. She offered to show me what was in that heavy suitcase and I pretended like I didn't care. I'm pretty sure I heard buzzing this morning." He took a long pull of his beer. "She's fucking killing me, but I'm not giving in."

"And what have you been doing to her?"

He chuckled darkly. "Wearing virtually nothing. It's been kind of cold but totally worth it. I paraded around in a towel this morning. I also got the lodge to hook me up with some free weights so I've been working out constantly." He shook his head. "And I broke out the porn collection and put it on right in the living room."

Jeez. My brother was super classy watching porn in the living room. Mom would kill him if she heard that. "You two are made for each other."

"I know! Rosie just needs to admit it! See, that first night and most of Saturday, until I talked to you, she was running hot and cold. Now she's running hot as hell and I'm resisting her which is making her insane. But she needs to know that I'm not in this for the sex, even though I want it more than I ever wanted anything in my entire life."

He was bad off, but I had a feeling he was working the right button. "Have you told her any of this?"

Emmett snorted. "Please. She'd castrate me before I got past the words no sex."

That was probably true. "Have you told her she's your 'one'?" I asked.

"Not yet. I want to, man, but Rosie isn't a big believer in true love and all that. I've got to make her admit that she loves me before I tell her it's forever. She'll balk if I try it now. I can't lose her, Edward."

I sighed because I definitely got how he was feeling. The thought of losing Bella terrified me. "Well, I admit it's complicated but I think you have to show her if you're not going to tell her."

"I am!" He threw up his hands. "I did the whole 'you' route last night with dinner. Candles, serving her, dessert by the fire; all that romantic shit. And I told her she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. She kissed me then." He grinned. "And it was mind blowing. I could have had her, but I stopped when she tried to take off my shirt." The grin turned into a grimace. "I'm pretty sure that's the first time I ever stopped a woman from undressing me."

Yeah, it had to be a first. My brother wasn't exactly known for his restraint. "I think it's good that you're trying to make it about more than sex but you're sending mixed signals by being half naked and watching porn. You must be confusing the hell out of her."

He frowned. "I am. I know I am because I'm confusing the hell out of myself. I want her, Edward. So damn bad, but I want it to be for always, like Mom and Dad and you and Bella."

I couldn't help but grin when he included me and Bella in his comparison. I knew we were forever but it was still cool to hear. "Yeah, yeah, stop your smiling, jackass. Why'd you have to get the girl who was already head over heels in love with you?"

Because I was a lucky son of a bitch. Well, not really. Mom would kill me if I ever said that. "I'm lucky, for one thing."

"Lucky bastard," he muttered. He got up and grabbed another beer for each of us even though mine was only half gone.

"For another, Rose was into you before you met, too." I was probably breaking some kind of rule, telling him what I knew, but Rose had let her interest slip in front of me, so I wasn't violating Bella's trust.

His head whipped around. I had visions of The Exorcist for a minute there. "What do you mean; she was into me before we met?"

I glanced behind me to make sure the girls weren't lurking anywhere. I didn't need to be in trouble. "I mean, when she found me in Bella's room that first night, she demanded to know where you were. I told her you were at a hotel and how you'd driven me up in your Venom. She whimpered and asked how she was supposed to resist a hot guy in a hot car."

He walked over and punched me on the shoulder, hard. "Fuck! That hurt!"

"Why didn't you tell me this before now?"

"Because I don't want them pissed at me."

He glared at me and then relaxed his angry stance. "I can't say I blame you there. Still it would have been nice to know I wasn't starting from square one with Rosie."

I laughed. "I get the feeling you'll always be restarting from square one with Rose."

He chuckled. "You're right, but it makes life damn exciting, let me tell you."

"So, you know she likes you. She's showed that several times. I think you need to be honest or at least stop fucking around with her."

"Yeah, I can do that. I guess if she attacks me, I'll give in." His dimples flashed as he grinned widely.

He killed me. "Way to look at the bright side, Em."

"It's all bright side, Eddie. You're practically as bright as the sun right about now. I guess I don't need to ask how your night went."

My smile gave me away. "It was great."

He snorted. "I bet it was. When are you proposing?"

I did a double take. "Seriously? We've been together officially for a week, half of which we weren't together at all."

Emmett shrugged. "So? I'd propose to Rosie today if I thought she'd say yes. You know Bella would."

I shook my head. "Just because she loves me and accepts that one day we'll be married, doesn't mean she'd say yes right now. We haven't met each other's families. The world doesn't know about the two of us yet. There are steps."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Steps schmeps. She's your 'one' and that's that. Great Grandpa got married after only a few weeks! You've known Bella longer than that."

"That was a different time, a different life and a different girl, Emmett."

"Fine. I'm just saying, I'd totally do it." He folded his arms across his chest as if to say "and that's that."

I smirked at him. "You won't even tell her you love or sleep with her. Don't tell me you'd marry her."

"I would so. If she'd admit she loves me."

Confident bastard. "That's a big if."

"It'll happen." Was he trying to convince me or himself?

"Just be nice to her, Emmett. She loved what you said in the car about giving her a family. She wants it. Keep on offering it to her until she takes it."

"I will. She's so great, man. No girl has ever kept me on my toes like she does." He shook his head, smiling and looking proud. "Our kids are going to be spitfires."

He killed me. "No doubt about it. Don't ask me to babysit."

"Oh, come on, Uncle Edward. You know you want to take care of Emmett Junior, Esme, Emily and Emerson."

What the hell did he just say? I stared at him. "What are those names?" I demanded.

He was grinning madly. "Well, Emmett Junior is obvious. And I told Mom I'd make Rosie name our first girl after her, so that explains Esme. The other two have to have some form of my name, so Emily and Emerson it is."

"Emmett, are you crazy? What makes you think Rose would let you name your kids after yourself? Are you George Foreman?"

"First of all, George Foreman is awesome. And by naming all his kids George, he never gets their names wrong! He can just call them by their number and it's all very organized. But naming a girl Emmett would be cruel."

Yes, it would. "You having four kids would be cruel. And I'm not babysitting them." But I would buy them obnoxious presents that were noisy and irritating. Well, I would if Rose didn't scare me just a little bit.

"Who aren't you babysitting?" Bella asked as she and Rose came in the kitchen. Emmett's face went bone white and I tried not to laugh. I sort of failed but at least I tried. He shook his head while Rose eyed him suspiciously.

"Emmett," I told her, kissing her when she reached my side. She looked like she didn't necessarily believe me but she wisely didn't press me on it. Though I could and maybe should throw Emmett under the bus, he'd owe me one. Well, I owed him for me even being with Bella now, so I guess I couldn't tell on him if I wanted to.

"Are you ladies hungry?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from babies and marriage and such. I wanted all of that with Bella, but I wanted some time just to be with her and discover everything about her. I already loved all the little things I knew and I wanted to know more. Learning it all was going to be my very distinct pleasure.

"Yeah, I could eat. Rose?" Bella asked. Rose glared over at my brother but nodded.

I pulled out the buns and Bella opened the containers. "We got pulled pork and chicken, mac and cheese, baked beans and coleslaw," Emmett supplied.

"And lemonade to mix with the vodka," Rose added. She grabbed it out of the freezer and set to work making the drinks. I noticed that she didn't use a light hand with the vodka. This could be interesting.

Bella nuked the food and we all dished up our plates and sat the table. My brother kept his eyes on Rose the entire time and she studiously ignored him. He'd pissed her off well and good.

"Everything okay?" I murmured to Bella.

She glanced at Rose and shrugged. "Hopefully."

Lovely. There was some definite tension here and it was kind of annoying because I would be quite content to be alone with Bella, thank you very much. I couldn't get enough of her. I had my left hand resting on her knee under the table. She occasionally reached down and brushed my hand with hers, just a kind of "I'm glad you're touching me" gesture that made me feel good.

Dinner was finished and we tossed the paper plates away, setting the leftovers in the fridge. That would be great tomorrow.

"So what should we do now? Hot tub?" Emmett asked brightly.

"Hell no." That was mine and Bella's alone. We hadn't broken it in yet.

Bella giggled. "How about a movie?"

I looked at her. "What movie?"

"You'll see," she said, heading out of the kitchen.

"It better not be porn!" Rose yelled. Emmett chuckled and got leveled with another hot glare. I went into the living room and made sure the fire was still going. All was well. I sat on the loveseat as the others filed in. Bella grinned at me as she headed toward the DVR. What did she have? Emmett sat on the couch and Rose sat as far away from him as she could on the other end. I rolled my eyes and Bella giggled as she came over and dropped down beside me. The opening strains to _Star Wars_ came on and Emmett groaned as I turned to stare at my girl.

"You brought _Star Wars_ , baby?"

She giggled and nodded. "I thought you might like it."

"Like it? I love it!" I kissed her. She lay her head on my shoulder and I held her close and got lost with Luke and Han, just like I always did.

About halfway through the movie, Emmett stood up and turned it off. "Hey!"

"Dude, you've seen that movie about seven hundred times. I'm bored. Let's play a game or something."

Damn it. Bella laughed and shrugged. Rose didn't appear to care one way or another. "What game, Emmett? We don't have any games, unless Bella brought some of those too?" A thought occurred to me as I took in my brother's grinning face. "And I am not playing Truth or Dare with you. Never again." Emmett's face fell.

Bella shook her head. "No, I didn't bring any games. I was more interested in playing with you this week."

Hot damn. I grinned at her while Emmett started bitching about me being a lucky bastard again. Rose shot him a fulminating look. "I know a game we can play," she interjected.

"Oh, shit," Bella muttered. What did that mean?

"Yeah? What is it, Rosie?"

She ignored Emmett and turned to me and Bella. "We'd probably be better off playing with beer." Bella nodded and went to the kitchen. What was this? "It's called I've Never."

I glanced at Emmett who looked a little pale. I didn't know this game. "What is it?"

Rose smiled. "It's easy. You just say I've never done something, and anybody that has done it drinks. So if you said, I've never kissed a girl, you and your idiot brother and I would drink."

Emmett's jaw dropped and he started sputtering. "You kissed a...who? When?"

"That isn't part of the game," she replied. "You don't have to explain anything, unless you want to."

"I want you to," Emmett told her. She completely ignored him. Bella came back in and passed each of us a bottle. I didn't know about this game. It sounded like it had the potential to be trouble. She sat next to me and put a hand on my knee.

"Small sips," she murmured. I had no problem with that.

"I'll start," Rose said. "I've never had sex in public." She and Emmett immediately hit the beer. Bella and I didn't.

I grinned at my girl. "We'll fix that one day."

She giggled. "Dressing room." Fuck me. Yes. Maybe this game wasn't so bad after all.

"Where were you?" Emmett asked. Rose just smiled. "I don't like this game. You should have to clarify!" he protested.

"Sorry, those aren't the rules," she told him, turning to face me and Bella. "One of you go."

Hell. "I've never had phone sex," Bella said, smiling brightly as she raised her bottle. That, of course, got all of us.

I went with one of my recent favorites. "I've never had Skype sex." Only Bella and I drank to that one.

"I knew you were smiling way too much while he was gone!" Rose exclaimed. "No wonder you locked yourself away every night."

Bella blushed but smiled. "What can I say? I'm addicted to Edward."

I kissed her. "The feeling is entirely mutual, baby."

"See, Rosie, they gave an explanation. Now you explain. What girl did you kiss?"

She shook her head. "First, that question has not been asked in this game, it was a sample question. Second, that's none of your business."

Emmett scowled. "Fine. I've never paraded around in sexy lingerie to drive an innocent man who is trying to be a gentleman crazy."

Rose just grinned and took a swig of her drink. So did Bella. "Hey!" I protested.

She stroked my thigh. "What do you think I was doing on Skype? Or last night?"

Good point. "I wasn't trying to be a gentleman though," I told her.

Bella laughed. "Thank God for that!"

"I hate you both," Rose and Emmett said at the same time. That set us both off and we held on to each other while we laughed.

"I've never rejected someone hard after teasing them for hours." Rose sounded decidedly hostile.

Emmett drank. "You too, Rosie."

"I haven't!"

"Oh yeah? What was last weekend? And Friday night? You drive me crazy and then you push me away. You're just as guilty as I am! I'm taking a page from your book."

"You know nothing about my book," she hissed at him. She drank anyway.

It was Bella's turn. "I've never joined the mile high club." Emmett drank. So not a surprise. He'd disappeared for a good half hour on a flight our family took when I was first starting to get famous.

"Hawaii?" I asked him.

I got a grin in a return. "That was the first time," he snickered while Rose huffed.

"You're such a whore."

"I'm a reformed whore," he replied. "I only have eyes for you, Rosie." She snorted and drained her beer.

"More?" Bella and I both shook our heads. We each had half a bottle left.

"I'll take more, Rosie."

"I just bet you will," she muttered as she got up to grab more bottles.

"We'll join it soon, baby." The flight to Germany was a long one and if we took a private plane…

Bella grinned. "I look forward to that."

"Me too." Rose made a gagging noise as she returned and thrust a bottle at my brother. She also had the…oh boy.

"Rose! Tequila? We'll die!" Bella shrieked.

"No, not for every question. I figure if moron here wants to get the story behind some of the questions, he has to take a shot and then he gets his answer. Or any of us, really."

Emmett had the bottle open and a shot poured. "I've never kissed a girl!" We all drank, including my Bella which had me all sorts of stunned and hot and bothered.

"Bella? What?"

She shook her head and pointed at the tequila. Damn it. I had to know. Emmett slammed his and I sighed and poured one and drank, feeling the burn as the liquor went down my throat. Not good.

Rose and Bella exchanged glances. "We kissed each other. We were at a bar and these two assholes would not take no for an answer. They thought they were the shit and couldn't fathom why we wouldn't be interested, so I told them we were lesbians. They didn't believe us so we kissed."

Bella giggled. "I thought it would be a little peck but Rose totally slipped me the tongue."

Emmett was looking between the two of them and grinning like a man died and gone to heaven. I was uncomfortably hard. Not that I wanted her kissing anyone but me now, but still. It was a hot image.

"Can we play truth or dare and dare you to kiss again?" Emmett demanded. Rose smacked him and Bella just blushed and shook her head.

"I only kiss one person from now on."

"Damn right you do, baby." I kissed her for that and she melted into me, even giving me a little tongue.

"You taste like tequila," she told me with a giggle when I pulled back.

"Yeah, well, I had to know! You can't tease me like that, love." She giggled and shrugged.

"I've never had a threesome." Rose was eying my brother but none of us drank to that one. "Really?" she asked skeptically.

"Really. What do you think I am? Wait, don't answer that, I already know. A whore." He frowned and I fought not to laugh. Emmett would absolutely have a threesome if he could have. Not long ago he'd been talking about one with Rose and Alice, not that I was going to share that one. I didn't want him to be killed. Mom would be pissed.

Bella snickered and grinned at Rose. "I've never been caught having sex by my parents."

Rose shook her head. "Bitch." She drank and Emmett immediately poured another shot of tequila and drank it.

"Go."

Rose shrugged. "I was sixteen and they were at a party so I had my boyfriend at the time over. They came home early and found me blowing him on the living room couch." She smiled. "Dad was so pissed. He grounded me for a month but neither of them were ever home to enforce it. I had him over two days later and they were none the wiser."

"Rosie," Em murmured softly. I knew what he was thinking. If that had happened to one of us, Mom would have made damn sure to be home the moment we got home from school and we wouldn't have been able to do anything until the punishment was over.

"Don't feel bad for me," she told him angrily.

Emmett held up his hands in a sign of surrender. "You're up, Edward."

Right. "I've never been caught sneaking out of the house."

Emmett snickered and drank. "It's not my fault Mom put that burglar alarm in and didn't inform me." That was the thing about Emmett, none of us would have to drink to hear of his exploits. He was thrilled to share.

We played a couple more rounds and Emmett drank every time Rose had to drink because he wanted an explanation for everything. She lost her virginity at sixteen to the same boy that she got caught with. I had to drink for that one too because I wanted to know about Bella' first time. I kind of hated this Eric guy, even if she did date him for over a year and was still on good terms with him now.

"Last one!" Emmett announced, swaying a little in his seat. He was definitely feeling it. I resigned myself to the fact that he'd probably be in one of the guest rooms tonight. That left the pool table and hot tub out of play for a little action.

Emmett stared right at Rose and raised his bottle. "I've never met the person I'm going to marry." Holy fucking shit. Bella's mouth dropped open as Emmett drank. I smiled and drank my beer because my idiot brother had spoken the truth. Bella saw me and smiled before drinking herself. "Drink up, Rosie."

Rose was staring at my brother like he'd just announced that he was going to the moon. "Why would I drink?"

"Because you're going to marry me, obviously! You're my 'one.'"

"What the fuck does that mean? And you won't even touch me! Why in the hell would I marry you?" she yelled. Oh, this was not good.

"You know what it means! It means you're my girl, my one true love. My family falls in love first sight and I did and it's with you. Eddie did with Bella, Dad did with Mom, it goes on and on."

Her eyes were blazing fire. "I don't give a good damn what anybody else in your family did. I'm not part of your family." She was yelling and on her feet pointing at him.

"Yes you are, Rosie. I told you that in the car. You're a Cullen now. Eddie, get on the computer and get ordained. You can marry us right now to prove it to her." He was clearly wasted. Even if Rose made him crazy, he would never be this stupid without the alcohol.

Jeez. "Uh, I don't think that's a very good idea Emmett." I valued my life a little too much to attempt such a thing.

"It's a great idea! I'll get ordained and marry you too!"

Bella was shaking her head and I didn't blame her. "No, Em. Mom would kill us."

"Fuck that, I'll kill you!" Rose shouted.

"Oh yeah, Mom would be pissed. Okay, we'll wait a little." He grinned at her. "But you will marry me, Rosie. Wait and see."

"I'll do no such thing! Just because your family believes in some love at first sight bullshit doesn't mean that I do. You can just get that idea out of your head right now."

"No can do, Rosie. You're it for me. 'The one.' It's all done. Emmett Cullen is off the market, permanently. Alert the presses!" He was laughing like a loon. "Edward, called Kate! Tell her to call TMZ and Perez Hilton. I won't be on their sites anymore, not without my Rosie!"

I didn't say anything. I wasn't getting involved. Rose whirled and I got her glare. "Don't you dare."

"I wasn't going to."

Bella sighed. "Rose…you know you want…"

"I know nothing!" she interrupted.

"Don't you?" Bella asked. She took a deep breath. "Alright. I'm doing this because I love you." Bella sat forward and held up her beer while Rose shook her head and kept mouthing "Don't."

"I've never been in love before." I drank right away, as did Bella. It made me happy to know she was referring to me and not her asshole ex.

Emmett snickered. "I'll drink to that!" He sucked down the rest of his beer and set it on the coffee table with a loud thud. "Love you, Rosie!"

Rose was just standing there staring at Bella, looking like a deer in headlights. "I'm not…I won't…I don't…"

"You do, Rose. Now drink," Bella told her.

"I don't want to," she replied quietly.

"That's not how the game goes. You drink if you've done the thing that was last said. Have you ever been in love?" Bella asked, giving her a knowing smile.

"How do I know?" she demanded. My brother was standing now and he wrapped his arms around her from behind. Rose closed her eyes and relaxed into him as he kissed her neck.

"You know, Rosie. You feel it. You may not want to but it's just there."

She sighed and her shoulders slumped. "I don't know if I can."

"Of course you can," Bella told her. "You love me, after all."

"Not so much at the moment," Rose replied, but there wasn't any heat in her words and Bella just smiled.

"I know it's scary, Rosie, but now you don't ever have to feel alone again." He kissed the back of her head. "You'll have me forever."

"If I let myself do this and you leave me, I swear to God I'll kill you," she told him.

"You couldn't get rid of me if you tried," Emmett assured her.

Rose opened her eyes and lifted the bottle. "Bottoms up. I don't know how the fuck this happened." She drank and my brother whooped with joy. He turned her around and as soon as she swallowed her drink, his lips were on hers.

"Maybe we should go upstairs," I murmured to Bella.

"Yes, we do. After all, tomorrow's a school day." What? Well, it was Monday but we were on vacation.

I stood and pulled Bella to her feet. Emmett and Rose didn't even notice as we made our way out of the living room. "No school tomorrow, baby. You can sleep as late as you want."

She just smiled. "I love you."

The words, as always, made me smile. "I love you too, Bella." I put my hands on her waist as we headed upstairs. "And I'm amazed at your bravery, making Rose admit her feelings like that."

Bella laughed. "She's always the one pushing me to be brave and put myself out there. It was time that I returned the favor."

"You're the bravest woman I know," I told her, kissing her when we reached the bedroom doorway.

"You make me that way," she murmured. "Let's go to bed. I have a feeling tomorrow's going to be a good day."

The twinkle in her eyes told me she had something planned. I was dying to know what but I'd let her have her moment. If my girl promised a good day, I knew it would be. Every day with her was so much better than good. It was amazing. I'd thought I had a good life before I met Bella. How wrong I was.

* * *


	33. Chapter 33

What was that god awful noise? It couldn't be. An alarm? Where was I? "Five more minutes," I muttered, burying my head in the pillow. The noise continued on. What in the hell? "Baby, turn it off." The horrible sound remained. Damn it. I pulled my head out of the pillow and scowled over at the clock, grabbing it and smacking buttons until it shut the fuck up. Seven thirty AM? Was this some sick joke? I was going to kill Emmett if he woke Bella. Bella…where was she? Her side of the bed was empty. Shit, was it all a dream?

I scrubbed my hands over my face. "Bella?" No response. This wasn't my bedroom, that much I knew, so where was she? I looked around the room and saw a piece of paper on the floor on my side of the bed. I must have knocked it off the nightstand when I was grabbing the alarm. I picked it up and blew out a breath when I recognized Bella's writing. Good, it wasn't all some fantastic dream.

_Rise and shine, Mr. Cullen. School starts at eight AM sharp. Don't be late or there will be consequences. I've left your clothes out in the bathroom. Meet me in the office._

_Love,_

_Your Bella_

Holy shit. My cock was rock hard and I was suddenly very awake. Was my teacher fantasy about to come true? So that's what she'd meant about today being a school day. I was very ready to be schooled. I hopped out of the bed and scampered into the bathroom. Yeah, I probably looked ridiculous but who gave a shit? I was about to live one of my favorite fantasies from the looks of it. She'd set out a pair of khakis and a blue button down, boxers, socks and my watch. Maybe that was my school uniform. Private school? Who cared, really?

I showered and got dressed, studying myself in the mirror. I decided to roll up my sleeves a little. Maybe I'd get in trouble for a uniform violation. That would be so hot. I cleaned up the bathroom and hung my towel over the rack before returning to the bedroom to put on my shoes. Five minutes until eight. Perfect. I practically skipped downstairs, glancing in the living room. No Emmett and Rose. That was a damn good thing. They didn't need to interfere in whatever my perfect girl had cooked up.

I ducked into the office. The desk had been cleared off and there was an apple sitting in the center of it. Damn, I should have grabbed her one. I saw that it sat on another piece of paper so I hurried over to see what was in store for me next.

_An apple for the teacher, who has been a very good boy showing up on time._

Wait, I was the teacher? Did that mean she was….oh fuck me. My naughty Catholic school girl? My pants were uncomfortably tight.

_It seems I don't have to punish you, but will you have to punish me? I guess we'll have to wait and see. Take a seat and start planning exactly what you're going to teach me. I have a great desire to learn this morning._

Christ. Was it getting hot in here or was it just me? I flicked open a button on my suddenly stifling collar and sank into the computer chair behind the desk. The computer had been moved onto a side table along with the printer and everything else. My girl had been very busy this morning. How had I slept through all of that? There was a kitchen table chair sitting in the center of the room, directly across from my desk, several feet back. That's where my Bella would sit, I guessed. Jesus, where was she? I needed to see her.

I glanced at my watch and saw it was now three minutes after eight. She was late. Of course she was. She wanted to be punished. I groaned as I pictured her bent over the desk in front of me, her perfect ass on display, just waiting for me to spank her. I was going to blow a load in my pants from just the image if she didn't show up soon.

My fingers tapped impatiently on the desk as I waited. Five minutes after. She was trying to kill me. Okay, no, she wasn't, but surely she knew I was about to explode with excitement. I had to see just what she had in store for me. I could go looking for her, of course, but this was her show and I needed to let her run it. She just needed to hurry up and get it started before I got started without her.

Seven after. She had three more minutes and then I was going to have to start looking. Or at least yelling for her. In a manly way, of course. I picked up the apple and decided I may as well eat while I was waiting. I bit into it just as the sweetest, sexiest voice in the world came from the doorway. "Oops! I'm so sorry I'm late, Mr. Cullen."

The apple fell from my hand and I sat there, stunned, as she entered the room. She was better than any fantasy my feeble brain had ever conjured. Holy shit. She was amazing. She wore a short plaid skirt that barely covered anything, white tights, a white shirt and a navy blazer that did nothing to conceal her perfect tits. Hell, it seemed like it was pushing them up even higher if that was possible. Her hair was in two pigtails and she was wearing red lipstick. I could picture it on my cock and I was throbbing. She really was going to be the death of me.

"Looks like you've got a little something in your teeth, teach," she told me as she slowly moved toward her desk, hips moving seductively. Her eyes were shining with mischief and her cheeks were pink, naturally, of course. How she could blush when she was dressed to kill was beyond me, but that was just my Bella. Shy and sexy, just like I loved her.

I said nothing because I really didn't think I could manage actual words. She finally reached her chair and she bent over next to it to place her backpack beside her. I groaned as I saw a whole lot of her ass. Her panties were white and the tights didn't go all the way to the top, there were a few inches of lovely flesh I was just dying to get my hands and lips on. She turned, smiled sweetly at me, and sat, crossing her legs and folding her hands across her lap.

She looked at me expectantly and I tried desperately to focus. Right. We had a scene to play. I was an actor. I could do this. I could put aside the desire to just grab her and throw her on the desk and fuck the shit out of her immediately. That wasn't how the fantasy went, after all.

"You might want to swallow that," she suggested, her lips twitching. "I could show you how to swallow if you're having trouble."

Fuck me. I nearly choked on the damn bite of apple that was still sitting in my mouth at her words. That'd be a great way to fuck up the moment, Cullen. Choking on a damn apple while your girl looks like pure sin in front of you. I chewed and swallowed, using the moment to try to gain my focus. I had a game to play here and I wasn't going to fuck it up.

"You're late, Miss Swan." My voice was a tad rough but I figured it suited the scenario.

She shrugged and twirled a finger through her right ponytail. Jesus. I wanted to grab both of them and slide my dick into her mouth, using her hair to pull her mouth toward me. She knew it, too. The gleam in her eyes told me she was very excited to play this out.

"That's it? No excuses? The dog didn't eat your homework?" I asked, glaring at her.

She reached into her backpack and took out a…what was that? A lollipop? Yes, yes it was. She unwrapped it and slid it into her mouth, hollowing out her cheeks and sucking on it. She twirled it around for a minute and then took it out, holding it next to her lips. "There was eating involved, but it certainly didn't involve a dog or homework."

Jesus fucking Christ. Was she implying what I thought she was implying? The sucker was back in her mouth and I was getting jealous of a piece of candy. "Miss Swan, I'm not sure what you mean by that."

She sighed and removed the candy from her mouth, licking her lip. I groaned. I couldn't help it. She was so fucking sexy and she was doing her best to drive me to my knees. "I mean, Mr. Cullen, that I was late because I was sucking off my boyfriend in his car."

I saw red. Even though it was bullshit, just the thought of those perfect lips wrapped around anybody but me pissed me off. She giggled at my reaction and I sought to bring myself under control. "Miss Swan, that is not appropriate behavior."

She ran her now red tongue over the lollipop, wholly unconcerned with my anger. "Maybe I like to be inappropriate."

She was doing very inappropriate things with the candy, that was for sure. I just watched as she licked and sucked on it. Then she uncrossed her legs, flashing her little white panties at me. I grabbed the edge of the desk to keep from launching myself at her. She was entirely too good at this.

"I can see that you do, Miss Swan. We'll be discussing that after class."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"You will speak to me with respect, Isabella!" I yelled.

She blinked and bit her lip. Fuck. "I'm sorry, _Mister Cullen._ I don't know what came over me. It won't happen again." Her tone dripped with sarcasm. It was hot as hell.

"Damn right it won't," I told her, my voice full of warning. "I'll make sure of it."

She shivered a little and I smiled. She was definitely just as turned on as I was. "You shouldn't curse, Mr. Cullen." Another lick of the lollipop.

"I think you like it when I do, Miss Swan. But you're right. That was inappropriate, something you know all about."

She just gave me an innocent smile and another lick of the lollipop. I never wanted to be a sucker more in my life. I couldn't handle it anymore. "Class dismissed. Miss Swan, you, however, are not." I waited a minute or two for my fake class to leave. She just sat, sucking on her candy and seeming completely unconcerned with her upcoming punishment. I sat back and assessed her. "You were late to class, disrespectful, unprepared for class and you've been engaging in sexual activity on campus. What do you think I should do about this, Miss Swan?"

Her finger gave her hair another twirl. "I think you should do whatever you want to do, Mr. Cullen." Her voice dripped with innuendo.

Throw you down on the desk and fuck you hard? Yes, I think I will. All in good time, baby. "Maybe I should call your parents."

Her eyes widened and she shook her head, her ponytails swishing over her shoulders. "Oh no, Mr. Cullen! You can't do that! I'll be grounded for sure!"

I bit back a laugh at the thought of telling Chief Swan about his naughty daughter. She'd be lucky not to be cuffed to her bed. Oh, fuck me, there was another fantastic image. "It's my duty, as your teacher, to inform your parents that you're not living up to the high standards we set here at Cullen Academy."

She grinned at the name I'd given the school. What could be better than my own private school full of private school girls? Well, I only wanted the one of course, but it was a damn fine idea. "Please, Mr. Cullen, please don't tell on me! I'll do anything." Her voice was breathy as she begged me. It really was difficult not to just come on the spot.

"You have to be punished for your actions, Miss Swan. I cannot allow such disrespect. What message would that send to your classmates?"

She bit her lip and looked up at me with watery eyes. Jesus. How did she do that? I should get her into acting. She was actually making me feel guilty for wanting to discipline her. "I understand, Mr. Cullen. You can do whatever you want to punish me, just don't tell my dad."

Here we go. "Come over here, Miss Swan." She rose and put her candy back in the wrapper, dumped it in her bag and walked slowly over to the side of my desk, her head down. "Look at me," I commanded.

She met my eyes and I saw the desire there. "I'm inclined to give in and not tell your father what you've done." Her face lit in a gorgeous smile. "But," I added and watched the smile fade. Damn she was good. "You do need to be taught a lesson."

Bella nodded slowly. "You are my teacher, so you should teach me, sir."

Fuck me, she called me sir. "How do you feel about corporal punishment, Isabella?" I don't know why, but calling her Isabella along with Miss Swan was just so incredibly fucking hot to me right now.

She bit her lip. "I know it's one of the options available to teachers here at Cullen Academy, sir."

"Yes, it is. It's right there in your handbook that you had to read on your first day."

"I remember, Mr. Cullen. I…I understand that you have the option to spank me if you want to."

Lord, did I want to. "How do you feel about that, Isabella?"

She squeaked and blushed. "I'm a little scared, sir, and…" she broke off and looked away from me.

"And what, young lady?" I prompted. She was so magnificent at this. We could probably operate our own porn company, not that I was about to let her appear on any videos or anything.

"And a little bit turned on," she whispered. Good God. She was killing me.

"Is that so, Miss Swan?" She nodded. "Well, I'd like to see that for myself. Bend over the desk, please."

She eyed it and me, chewing on her lip again. "Do it now, Isabella!" I demanded. She moaned and bent over the desk as I stood and walked around behind her. God, what a sight she was. Long legs and a tight little ass barely covered by that little bit of material. I ran my hands over her skirt before pushing it up and revealing those little white panties she'd been taunting me with. "So, you want my hands on this sweet little ass, don't you, Miss Swan?"

She didn't answer me so I swatted her lightly. She yelped. "Yes!"

I chuckled as I reached between her legs and ran my fingers over her panties. She was soaking wet. "It would seem that you're more than a little turned on, Miss Swan. Did that boyfriend you were sucking off do this to you, or did I?"

"You did, Mr. Cullen."

Damn right I did. No teenage asshole could turn her on like I could. I hooked my fingers in her panties and slid them down her thigh highs, bending down to the floor and pulling them over her, jeez, she was wearing those shoes that school girls wore, the shiny ones with the strap across the foot. She was such perfection.

I stood back up and smiled at the sight of her pretty white ass splayed over the desk for me. "You're a very naughty girl, Miss Swan."

"Yes, I am," she agreed. I saw her fingers tighten as she held on to the edges of the desk.

"You know what happens to naughty girls?" I asked as I caressed her behind lightly.

"They get spanked," she replied.

"Mmm, yes they do." I swatted her right cheek lightly and she gasped.

"And naughty girls like it, don't they?" I hit the right next as she moaned and ground against the desk. Her cheeks were a light pink. She looked sexy as hell. "How many swats do you think you should get, Miss Swan?"

"Five?" she asked as I brought my hand down again.

I laughed. "Five? For being late, being disrespectful and giving head on school property?" I spanked her again as she moaned.

"Well, maybe I could get another kind of punishment for that last thing," she suggested.

I paused before I gave her the fifth swat. "Like what?"

"Like maybe I could give you a blow job?" she asked.

Fuck yes. Not that I hadn't planned that all along after she told me about doing it to her fictional boyfriend. I hated him even though he didn't exist. "Really, Miss Swan? You'd wrap your sweet lips around my cock?"

"Oh yes, Mr. Cullen. I want to."

I spanked her again. "You are a very bad girl, Isabella." I rubbed her pink cheeks. "I think I will let you blow me, show me just what you were up to instead of being in my class on time. If you do a good job, no more spanking. If you don't…" I let the threat hang in the air as I squeezed her ass. I walked back to my chair, unbuttoning my pants as I went. She pushed off the desk and watched me, licking her lips as I slid my pants and boxers down to my knees. "Am I bigger than your boyfriend is, Miss Swan?"

She nodded. "Oh yes, Mr. Cullen."

I smirked. Good answer, baby. "Well, I hope you can handle it, or that fine little ass of yours is going to be on fire."

Bella unbuttoned her blazer and tossed it off, revealing that tight white shirt of hers, her breasts straining against the material. She wasn't wearing a bra. Fuck. I moaned and she smiled as she walked around the desk and knelt down in front of me. So fucking hot. "Why don't you suck on me like you were that lollipop of yours, Miss Swan?"

She giggled. "Did you like that, Mr. Cullen?"

"I found it very erotic, Isabella."

"I was pretending it was your cock," she told me as she bent forward and took me in her hands. She smiled up at me and then ran her tongue over my head. Fuck, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I was so fucking hard.

"Were you now?" I asked, running my hands down her ponytails and wrapping them around my fists. "Why don't you show me?"

She ran her tongue down my length and I thrust toward her. "Take as much of me in as you can, Miss Swan. Show me what you can do." I barely had the words out before her mouth was wrapped around me. Fuck, she was incredible. I moaned and tightened my grip on her hair. She ran her tongue over my head and sucked me back in, bobbing up and down. I pulled on those silken tresses, guiding her.

She released me and grinned. "I like it when you fuck my mouth, Mr. Cullen."

Fuck. "So let me do it, baby." She opened her mouth wide and I stood and slid inside her. She was so hot and her tongue ran along the underside of my cock. It felt amazing. I fucked her mouth as she sucked on me and it took everything I had not to blow my load immediately. "You're very talented, Miss Swan. I can see why your boyfriend wants your hot little mouth all to himself. But he can't have it anymore, can he?" She looked up at me with wide eyes and shook her head. It was a hell of a sight, my dick in her mouth, my hands pulling on her hair, those big brown eyes burning into me. It was almost too much.

"You're mine now, aren't you Miss Swan? Mine to do with what I please?" She nodded and continued to suck my dick. It wasn't enough, though. I needed to be inside her.

I pulled out of her mouth and she made a disappointed sounding noise when I did. I sat and pulled her up and into my lap. "You have a very talented mouth, baby, but I want more. It's not really a punishment when you clearly like giving head."

Bella eyed me. "What did you have in mind, then?"

This was going to be interesting, to see how she responded. "Tell me, Miss Swan, have you and your boyfriend gone all the way?"

Her eyes bulged and she shook her head quickly. "No! What kind of girl do you think I am?"

What a question! "The kind that likes getting spanked and giving head. It's not much of a stretch to assume you like to fuck as well."

Bella raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I do. Why don't you fuck me and find out?"

God I loved her. I'd love her even if she wasn't as delightfully sexual and perverted as she was, of course, but it just added to her overall awesomeness and perfection. "Indeed, why don't I?" The only question was how? Did I want her to ride me here in this chair? Yes, I did. But I also wanted her bent back over the desk while I fucked her from behind. And then she could be on the desk facing me and I could fuck her. So many possibilities. It had to be the image I'd had in my head since I walked into the room though.

"Bend back over the desk, Miss Swan."

Bella slid off my lap, making sure to rub against my cock as she did so, little tease that she was. She didn't go back to where she'd been when I spanked her, choosing instead to bend over right in front of me where I sat. Her pink ass was right there so I leaned forward and bit it lightly. She screamed. "Mr. Cullen!"

I snickered as I stood and kicked my shoes off, followed by my pants and boxers. I raised her skirt again. I could get her naked but there was something hotter about leaving her almost fully dressed, like we really could get caught at any time by a curious student or wandering teacher or even better, the principal.

I reached between her legs and stroked her pussy. "You're so wet, Isabella."

She made little mewling noises and pushed against my hand. "Only for you, Mr. Cullen."

"Is that so, Miss Swan? I don't think your boyfriend will like that very much." Yes, I was hung up on the non-existent little prick.

"I'll break up with him," she promised as I fingered her clit. "Please."

"You will break up with him. You're my girl now, to do with whatever I want."

"Yes, please!" She was getting demanding, my sweet Bella. Thank God for that.

"Good girl, Isabella. I think you may just get an A in this class yet." I pushed inside her and she gasped as I filled her. I moaned as that tight heat surrounded me.

"You're not a virgin, Miss Swan. It seems you're exactly the kind of girl that I thought you were," I told her as I began to fuck her slowly.

"You don't want a virgin, Mr. Cullen," she told me, pushing her ass back toward me, taking me in deeper.

"How do you know that, Isabella?"

"Because…" she moaned as I thrust into her deeper. "Because you want a girl that knows what she's doing." I slapped her ass once and she moaned again. "You want a girl that can suck you and fuck you the way you like it." Oh yeah, I most definitely did. I gripped her hips and slammed into her harder. "You want me, Mr. Cullen. Only me." I loved hearing that.

"Only you, Miss Swan." I grunted as I lifted her hips up a bit and pushed deeper into her. "You're so fucking sexy in that little uniform. I just wanted to fuck you the instant you walked into the door."

"I wanted you to fuck me," she told me breathlessly as I took her hard and fast. "I was late on purpose so you'd make me stay after class."

Fuck. "You're going to stay after class every day from now on, baby. We'll call it extra credit."

She laughed. "I love extra credit."

"I do, too." I stroked her clit as I fucked her. It wasn't going to be long now. It'd been nearly impossible not to come at just the sight of her.

Bella yelled and started to come around me. "Fuck, yes, Mr. Cullen," she shouted as she came. So fucking sexy. I dug my fingers into her waist as I thrust deep inside her and filled her. I thrust again and again, enjoying the feeling of her clamped around me as I gave her everything I had.

I pulled out of her, completely spent and collapsed back in the chair. I reached out and tugged on her thighs. She came willingly into my lap and smiled as I wrapped my arms around her. "Good morning."

Good morning? I laughed before kissing her hard. "I think it's more than a good morning, baby," I told her when we were both breathless. "It's more like best morning ever."

She giggled and rested her head on my shoulder. "So I take it you didn't mind the early wake up."

I tugged on the ponytail that wasn't pressed against me. "You can wake me up just like that all week long if you like."

Bella laughed. "Good, I didn't think you'd mind."

I shook my head. "Never. Though I did hate that you weren't in bed with me. For a few seconds there I thought this was all a dream." She sat up and looked at me in surprise. "The thought terrified me."

"Oh, Edward." She kissed me softly. "I know it's hard to believe sometimes, but it's definitely real."

"Thank God for that." Now was not the time for melancholy. "This was way better than any dream or fantasy." I looked her over, still almost completely dressed save for her jacket and underwear. "Do you know how hard it was to wait to fuck you? You're such a little temptress."

Bella grinned. "I've had this planned since the moment you mentioned the naughty school girl fantasy."

"You eclipsed it, let me tell you. You're one hell of a little actress. You sure you want to be a teacher?"

She giggled and stroked my cheek. "I want to be your teacher for sure."

I smiled. "I thought that was the scenario I was getting until I read the note in here."

She watched me. "Disappointed?"

Was she serious? "Not in the slightest."

"Good." She kissed me and I tightened my arms around her. "Besides, there are four whole school days left. You never know what could happen."

Hell yes! "I'd love to attend class with Miss Swan."

"That's Ms. Swan and I'm sure you would. We'll just have to see if she calls school in session or not."

I pouted and she laughed at me. "You're teasing me again, baby."

Bella shook her head. "I think I came through, as promised, Mr. Cullen."

"You always do." I kissed her again. "I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too," she replied. She straddled me, making her skirt ride up her thighs. "And now I'd like to see about getting started on that extra credit."

Fuck me. "By all means…" I was becoming addicted to this woman in ways I never thought possible. She was a high I never wanted to come down from. Bella was mine, forever.


	34. Chapter 34

"Are you going to be riding a horse in this movie?" Bella asked dreamily.

I peered up from my script and grinned at her. "Why? Do you like it when I ride?" I asked suggestively. She was too cute. I'd been reading through the script for about thirty minutes now, just getting a feel for the character before I read his parts out loud to her. She was getting really impatient. It was incredibly amusing. She kept trying to read her own book but every couple of minutes I could feel her staring at me. She looked away every time I glanced at her.

We were curled up next to one another on the couch. The snow had finally started falling and it was cool to watch it from inside in front of the fire while we both read. Or while I read and Bella harassed me. I wouldn't have it any other way though. I really did need to look at buying a place around here. Or in Seattle. Yes, Seattle would be good as well.

"It might be sort of sexy," she muttered. Her lip poked out and I wasn't going to resist that invitation. She'd nearly killed me yesterday with the naughty school girl bit and we'd both decided some recovery time was needed, so last night we'd eaten frozen pizza and chilled out in front of the TV. I was a bit disappointed not to wake up to an alarm this morning, but we still had several more school days to go. It seemed my Bella was biding her time. It wasn't like I was going to complain about waking up with her in my arms anyway.

"Sort of sexy? Since when am I only sort of sexy?" I demanded.

She giggled. "Well, you're clothed when you ride a horse, so that diminishes the sexy a little bit."

I smirked at her. "I'm not likely to ever play Lady Godiva, so I think naked horse riding is out of the question." She laughed even harder at that one. I loved to make her laugh. I loved just being with her. I wasn't sure how I was going to survive not seeing her for weeks at a time, though I would talk to her every day over the phone and the computer.

"Maybe there'll be a movie where there's a role reversal and a guy has to ride naked to distract the crowd," she suggested.

I poked her side. "I'm sure that would be a wonderful movie. I'm also sure that I wouldn't be in said movie."

"Why not?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and speaking in that tone that meant I might be in trouble. Oh boy. "It's okay for a woman to ride naked but not a man? Typical Hollywood double standard."

I was laughing, I couldn't help it. "First of all, a man has a little something, or in my case, a big something between his legs that would not feel good pressed up against a horse as it walked or God forbid, trotted." Bella snickered at that. "Second of all, I have this girlfriend who I would think wouldn't want the whole world to see me naked, judging by her aversion to sex scenes in my scripts."

Bella stopped laughing and her brown eyes flashed. "Shit. That's right. Forget I said anything."

I chuckled at the look of horror on her face. "Not so funny now, is it? Did your feminist lit class rear up for a second there? I'm all for equal nudity, you know that, especially when it comes to you and me."

Bella rolled her eyes. "I hate that class. I just got caught up in the image of you shirtless and riding a horse and got carried away."

She was so fucking cute. "Tell you what; we'll save shirtless horseback riding, which I will do, for just the two of us. But the jeans are staying on."

Bella grinned. "While you're riding the horse, maybe. But not when I'm riding you."

Jesus. And I was hard again. "Oh, I'll definitely lose them then." I shook my head and made a sad face. "There's not really much nudity in this one that I can see."

She sniffed and nudged me with her foot. "You don't have to be so sorry about it."

I snickered and grabbed her foot, tickling it as she shrieked and yanked it away from me. "I'm not disappointed for when I film the movie, but practicing with you would have been a lot of fun."

She pouted. "In order to practice, you'd have to let me read it."

"Or better yet, read it to you," I replied, giving her a knowing smile.

Bella huffed. "Forgive me for being curious about your movie. I'll just go back to reading." She stuck her book in front of her face, blocking herself from view completely. That just wouldn't do. I flipped to the first argument between my character and his father.

"Vexed? Surely I should be more than vexed, Father." I slipped into the accent easily. I'd always had a good ear for them. Bella's book lowered and I could see the very top of her eyes. I pretended that I didn't notice. "I have no desire to court either of the Pierce women." I barked out a hard laugh. "Aye, Fiona is very handsome. She rivals her brother William in looks and I dare say her mustache is thicker."

Bella's shoulders were shaking and she buried her nose in her book to smother her laughter. I chuckled and took her book away from her. "You're not fooling anybody, baby."

She smiled brightly, unconcerned with being caught. "Did your character really just imply that Fiona is mannish?"

I grinned. "He's a bit put out with his father, it seems. There is much pressure on him to marry before he assumes the throne."

Her eyes widened. "Throne? You're a prince?" Her voice got a little breathy at the very idea.

"Mmm hmm. And my father, the king, and I have very different ideas about what sort of woman I should marry. I find upper crust women to be insufferable." I put on the accent again. Bella's cheeks flushed. "I far prefer a woman with a little spirit, much like my favourite horse, Glory."

She raised an eyebrow. "And would you break that spirit like you break a horse?"

I gave her my best haughty look. "I would never break her wild spirit. I'd soothe it, calm her just enough to please my parents publicly, but relish her temperament in the privacy of our boudoir."

Bella made a strangled noise and the next thing I knew, she had me pinned to the couch and was kissing the hell out of me. Well, damn. I was going to talk with an accent all the time if it had that kind of reaction. Did she like Australians? Italians? Hell, I could speak Italian or French for her if she was going to respond that way.

"Tell me more," she demanded, straddling me.

Really? She wanted me to continue? "I'm rebellious." She moaned and her fingers flexed against my abs. "I refuse to give in to family pressure. I'll marry the right girl when I find her."

"Who is she?" Bella asked. Her fingers crept up to the v of my sweater.

"She's a commoner. Completely inappropriate. She can ride a horse and shoot a gun as well as any man. She's positively scandalous and rumoured to be tainted."

Bella moaned and tugged my sweater over my head. Good God. What was going on here? "Baby?"

"Keep going. What does she look like?" Her sweater followed mine and I was very amenable to tell her anything she wanted to know as long as clothes were going to keep disappearing.

A picture of Kate Winslet flashed in my head, since she was the one playing her. But the answer I gave wasn't her. "She has porcelain skin that just begs for a man's touch." I stroked Bella's cheek and she bit her lip. I ran my thumb along her mouth. "Perfect pink lips that call to my own. I yearn to feel them on mine." Bella started to move against me. Fucking hell, I was hard as a rock. Right. "Rich brown eyes, the color of my favourite coffee blend." Those eyes were hot with desire. I was having a hard time concentrating. "Mahogany hair that glints with fire in the sun." I combed my fingers through her hair and watched her breasts heave. "Bosoms that make me forget that I'm supposed to be a gentleman." I wanted to laugh at myself for using the word bosoms but Bella's nostrils flared and she let out a little moan. Clearly she approved.

"I burn for her, and from the first moment I lay eyes on her, she's all that I can see. Every insipid debutante that my parents put before me sends me running toward her."

"Does she want you back?" Bella demanded. She reached behind her and unclasped her bra. Jesus. My fingers dug into her waist. I didn't know if I was allowed to touch her yet. It better be soon though.

"She does, but she doesn't trust me. She thinks I just want a tumble before I am betrothed to someone of my station."

"Your station," she muttered. "Yes, they would want you to be with someone in your class. Some lady or something."

"I don't want a lady, I just want you," I told her.

She grinned. "Me, huh? Is that who you were describing?"

I smirked at her and dropped the accent. "You know that I was. There's nobody else for me."

"Damn right there's not. Now show me."

My hands were on her breasts the instant she asked. "Happily, my love."

She reached between us to unbutton my jeans. "Keep the accent."

I raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I really should worry about bringing you to Germany this summer."

She laughed and bent to kiss me. "It's you combined with the accent that drives me wild."

"Well in that case…" I started using words like flavour and bullocks. Nothing I said made any sense but Bella's hot mouth was moving over my neck and chest so I didn't much care.

"Don't stop," she murmured as she kissed down my stomach and flipped open my jeans. Not a problem. I kept babbling about how I'd renounce the throne for her. "That's so romantic," she told me as she tugged my pants off.

"Baby, I can't think about romance when your mouth's right…Holy shit!" Whatever I'd been saying was gone as her mouth closed over me. "Bella, Jesus."

She released me and frowned. "Accent, please."

Damn it, like I could concentrate? "Isabella, don't tease me," I managed. She grinned before going down on me again. My eyes crossed and I said "Cheers," which made her giggle which felt pretty fucking awesome. She released me again and stood, tugging off her yoga pants. Interestingly, she wasn't wearing any underwear. Had I known that, I probably wouldn't have lasted a half hour with my script.

Bella crawled back over me and held herself right over my cock. "I think you need riding lessons before this film."

Fuck yes. "Absolutely. I want to be technically perfect."

She lowered herself down, taking me slowly inside her. Jesus, I was going to come in record time I think. I loved it when she was on top of me.

"You start out slow," she told me calmly, moving her hips just a tiny bit. "Let your horse get used to your body."

"I'm incredibly used to your body," I replied, still in the accent. I would never tire of her gorgeous, sexy form, though. No matter how many times she took me just like this. God, let her take me like this a lot please.

"Mmm, well, once your mount adjusts, you can kick her into a trot." And she started moving faster. I held on to her waist and thrust up to meet her. "Do you like trotting, Edward?"

"I love trotting, Bella. I like a nice, smooth ride."

She giggled and I watched her breasts move as she shifted her hips and took me a little faster. "There's something to be said for letting loose and going on a full out gallop though."

She was bouncing up and down on my cock now, fucking me hard and I was just holding on and guiding her hips. "Yes, yes, I like that very much," I managed. I reached over to touch her clit as she took me faster. It wasn't going to be long. I hit the perfect spot when she rode me this way.

Bella moaned and threw back her head. She was stunning. I loved watching her but I loathed not being able to kiss her graceful neck. I rubbed her clit faster and she clamped around me, coming and shouting out "Prince Edward!" Only she could make me laugh at the same time that I erupted within her. She collapsed against me as we both came back to earth. I took her face in my hands and kissed her hard.

"You never fail to fascinate me," I told her. "Who knew that my script would turn you on like that? I didn't even read any of the sexy parts."

She laughed, which vibrated through my chest. I loved having her close. "Why do you think I'm an English major? I love words, what can I say?"

"I love your words," I told her, holding her close and running my hands down her back. "I'm so glad they brought you to me."

Bella rested her head on her hands, atop my chest. "Who knew that calling myself a spaz would reel you in? I honestly never dreamed we'd be here like this." She laughed. "Okay, well I might have imagined it, but it was pure fantasy for the toy stash."

She killed me. "I love that you thought about me when you touched yourself, even before you knew me."

She snickered. "Really? That doesn't bother you? There must be millions of women who have done the same."

I felt my cheeks heating. Jeez. I didn't like to think about that. "It's hot that _you_ did it," I amended. "It can be uncomfortable when I hear about others doing it."

Bella smiled. "Yeah, I think I can understand that."

I smirked. "Of course you can. You're a beautiful woman and we both know you have at least a few admirers."

She screwed up her face in irritation. "Don't remind me."

Well, I'd remember. That Mike guy better stay away. "I should get back to reading my script. You sidetracked me."

"In the best possible way," she said, kissing my chin.

"Absolutely. If you'd like to distract me exactly the same way in an hour, feel free."

Bella snickered as she sat up. "I'm going to make dinner, so we'll hold the distractions until later."

"You're cooking? What are we having?"

She smiled. "Chicken and broccoli casserole is good on a cold day. Don't worry, it's loaded with cheese."

That worked for me. "Sounds good, baby. Do you need me to do anything?"

"No. You get to know your character so you can introduce him to me fully later."

God, I adored her. "Absolutely."

"Carry on, then. Cheerio!" Her British accent was absolutely atrocious but she was so damn cute and smiling proudly as she pulled back on her pants and sweater, sans bra, that I didn't have the heart to tell her that.

"That was…um…" I broke off, not sure what to say.

"Terrible," she finished for me. "But you love me too much to tell me so. It's okay, I don't need the accent. I'll just make you use yours whenever I have a craving."

I smirked at her as I pulled on my jeans. "Which do you crave more? Me or the accent?"

She looped her fingers in my jeans and pulled me to her. "You. Always you." She gave me a searing kiss that made me want to take my jeans back off. "Leave the sweater off. I think we should get in the hot tub later, with the snow coming down."

Hell yes. "Sounds good to me, love." I kissed her again.

"See you shortly. Get to work!" She was off to the kitchen and I sank back onto the couch. I could happily spend every day of the rest of my life just like this. I picked up my script and found where I'd left off. Time for some sexy British banter. I'd rather be bantering with my sexy girlfriend but we'd save that for later.

Xoxoxoxox

"Dinner was delicious, baby," I told her again. Seriously. I'd had two servings and would have had a third were I not anxious to get on with the rest of the night.

She smiled. "I'm glad you liked it. The best thing about this is that it makes a ton and it's just as good reheated. It'll last us a few days." She looked back at the casserole dish and then at me. "Well, unless you plan on eating two bowlfuls every time."

I sniffed as I stood and carried our plates to the sink. "I'll have you know I was showing restraint. I wanted more but I'd rather get in the hot tub with you than eat more of your amazing meal. You should take that as a compliment."

Bella giggled and wrapped her arms around me from behind as I rinsed the dishes off. "I should take it as a compliment that you prefer my body to my food? Sex over nourishment?"

I laughed as I turned around to face her. "Sex is nourishment as far as I'm concerned. And I prefer all of you, baby. Your body, your food, your mind, your sweet laugh…" I broke off as she pulled me into a kiss. "That too," I managed when we broke apart. Every time I kissed her, I just felt right. It was something I'd never experienced before.

"Mmm, more of that to come. I'm going to go put on a bathing suit. Why don't you start the hot tub?"

Like I hadn't taken care of that already? "It's already bubbling away, baby. Meet you out there in five minutes?" I asked.

"Sure." She was off before I could kiss her again. Alright then. I followed her upstairs but the bathroom door was shut when I got there. Maybe she had another surprise for me. I slipped into my black trunks and went outside through the bedroom deck entrance. I was glad we were using this room as our main bedroom now. It had an incredible view of the river and the mountain. The hot tub was covered by a roof extension so I hadn't had to deal with cleaning off any snow. Of course, I had to step in some to get to it and it was fucking freezing so I ran and hurried into the hot water, sighing as I sank into the hot tub. Sheer perfection. It was still snowing but I was warm and toasty and just needed my girl to complete the picture.

I relaxed against one of the jets, moaning as it hit my lower back. That felt good. And it reminded me of a little promise we'd made to one another back when we'd first talked about meeting. I owed Bella a very long massage and she'd return the favor after. I'd have to remind her of that one. Though I wondered how long either of us could take having the other's hands on them without it turning sexual. Not very, at least on my part.

I heard the door open and called out to her. "Hey baby, I just remembered that…" I broke off as she stepped into view. Fucking hell. Every time I thought she was as sexy as she could ever be, she surprised me yet again. She was in a tiny bikini, red, that barely covered any part of her body. She let out a little squeak when she felt the cold air hit and I experienced a complete Baywatch moment as she ran toward me. Though she was better than any Baywatch woman was. She was less clothed, she was real and she was all mine.

"Holy shit, it's cold," Bella gasped as she reached the tub. I held out a hand and helped her climb in. She was shivering from the freezing night air. She sighed with relief as she got into the water and sat next to me. "Oh, that's much better."

"Yes, it is," I agreed, wrapping her in my arms and pulling her down so she leaned against my chest. "Now it's perfect."

Bella leaned her head against my right shoulder and relaxed into me. "It's so beautiful out here."

"I was just thinking that," I agreed. "Though it's even more so now that you're here with me."

She laughed and kissed my jaw. "You're such a sap."

"Only with you."

"As it should be," she agreed. "What were you saying when I came out?"

I shook my head, trying to focus. Oh, that's right. "That we owe each other massages."

"Oooh, that's right. I believe you promised to use your sexy hands on me for hours." Bella shivered as I kissed the side of her neck.

"I don't know if I can go hours with you naked and not take you, baby. It's already difficult with you in that tiny excuse for a bathing suit."

Bella giggled. "We'll just have to do it after I've worn you out so you can't get it up."

I nibbled on her ear and she moaned. "That will never happen, baby. Don't even joke about such a thing."

She stroked my knee under the water and I shifted and let her feel just how much that wasn't a problem. "I wasn't worried," she purred.

"Good." A noise off to the west caught my attention. It was probably an animal or something but…"How do you think they're doing?" I asked Bella. I'd tried calling Emmett earlier today and not gotten a reply.

Bella snorted. "I think they're just fine. They survived the hard part. I told you Emmett said we weren't going to see them until Sunday." Her voice sounded a little bit sad when she mentioned Sunday. I couldn't blame her. I hated the thought of leaving this place, and more specifically, leaving her on Monday morning.

"It won't be too long before we have the whole summer together," I reminded her.

Bella turned to face me. I pulled her sideways onto my lap and held her close. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Summer or graduation?" I asked with a grin.

"Both," she replied with a smile. "I can't believe I'm graduating and that you're going to be there to see it."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

She smiled and kissed me. "I'm excited that you're all coming. It's going to feel like a real family thing with you there, along with my Dad and Sue and Alice's parents. Not too long ago I just figured it'd be Dad and the Brandons, but now we'll have a whole house full of people."

I brushed a strand of wet hair away from where it clung to her neck. It was time to ask her. I'd avoided bringing it up because I didn't want to upset her but I honestly couldn't fathom not inviting her mother to see her graduate. I knew that was because my mother would do whatever she had to do to be at any big event I had. "Bella, don't get pissed but I have to ask this." Her brown eyes grew weary which I hated. "Are you sure that you don't want to invite your mother? I mean, I get that it would be awkward with your dad and his new girlfriend but don't you think she wants to be there?"

Her eyes got misty and I immediately felt like an asshole for pushing her. "I'm sorry, baby. Forget that I…"

"No, it's okay," she interrupted. "I don't know. I mean, is it wrong that I don't even want her there? She's never been there for anything, Edward. I haven't spent one holiday with her since I was three. Not one birthday. I visited her for a couple of summers when I was younger and you'd think that she'd do something special when she had me, right? I mean, if you don't see your kid for a few years, you'd plan things to do with them. A trip to the zoo, shopping, whatever. Do you know what I did when I visited her?"

I didn't know if I wanted to know but I shook my head. "I read, Edward. I read whatever books I had and watched TV and fended for myself while she went out at night and worked during the day. Weekends she spent with whatever guy she was hooked up with at the time. After a couple of trips like that, I begged my dad not to send me to her anymore. He didn't and she never complained about it."

God, it was honestly something I couldn't wrap my head around. My heart ached for her. "Baby, it's not wrong that you don't want her there. I guess I just hoped she'd want to be."

Bella jerked her shoulder and looked down at the water. "She knows how old I am. She knows I should be graduating. It's not like she's asked me about it, or even called for that matter. I called on her birthday and got her voicemail. Something about partying in Vegas." She shook her head. "You'd think she was the twenty-two year old."

"You and Rose both got the short stick when it came to parents," I told her, hugging her to me. "I'm so sorry, Bella."

Her arms wrapped around my neck. "It's okay. At least I had Charlie." She laughed. "He certainly wasn't a mother figure but he made sure I never went without. He got Mrs. Brandon to take me shopping for my first bra." Bella giggled and the sound made me smile. I hated that I'd upset her by bringing up her shitty mother. "She told me that he asked her to help with my womanly needs." She was shaking with laughter now and I joined in. "And let's just say that when my other womanly need arrived, he put me in the squad car and turned on the lights like there was an emergency. I guess for Charlie there was one."

I was dying at that image. "Did he take you to the hospital?" I asked. Holy shit. That was hilarious.

"No. He took me to Alice's house and practically threw money at me to buy whatever it was I needed before he drove away. That's when I officially took over grocery shopping."

I was roaring with laughter and so was my Bella. Thank God she was happy again. "I can't wait to meet your father."

She giggled and took my face in her hands. "You should know that he's been scouring the tabloids." I groaned and she snickered. "When I called to tell him we arrived he let me know that you might be two-timing me with Jane."

Oh, man. "Just what I need. A protective father who can legally shoot me and likes to read entertainment gossip."

Bella laughed loudly. "That's the thing, though. The only magazines my father reads are _Sports Illustrated_ and some fishing magazines. But now that he knows about you, he's checking out _Us_ and _People_ and shit like that. It's so funny. Maybe he'll have Sue buy them for him, because I really can't see the Chief buying an _Enquirer_ for all of Forks to gossip about." I stared at her and she laughed. "It's a very small town. Everybody knows everything and Charlie buying gossip magazines would be cause for talk."

Well, being under a microscope was something I could relate to, even though her father's was very different than mine. "You did tell him it was all bullshit, right? I don't want him hating me before we even meet."

Bella kissed me and I got lost in it. She always made me feel better, even if I was worried about gun toting fathers. "Of course I told him that. He's cautious, Edward. He'll grow to love you, because I do, but I can't promise he'll be all hugs and smiles when you first meet him."

I could handle that. "I'm glad Mom's going to be there."

Bella laughed. "You think she'll protect you?"

I grinned because unlike Bella, I'd never had to worry about my mother's love. "Well, she would if she had to, but it's more that I think she'll make sure your dad loves me, her and everybody named Cullen before the day is over. It's just what she does, unless she doesn't like a person."

"And then?" Bella asked, sounding nervous.

Silly girl. "She'll love you, I've told you that. She's already beyond excited to meet you. But if you must know, if she doesn't like a person, well, she can make their life hell." I grinned as I remembered our recent conversation about James and Irina. "She wants to cast James in some movie wherein all this bad stuff happens to his character, including getting covered in a pile of actual shit. And I guarantee you, she'd pull strings and make sure they really did use shit."

Bella laughed hard. "Can't she put Irina in that movie too?"

I shook my head. "She'd love to. Or she'd actually love to blackball her from the business. I told her not to, but whether she listens or not remains to be seen."

My girl eyed me. "Why can't she?"

I snickered. Her Irina hate still killed me. "Because she's not worth it. I don't care a lick about what Irina does or doesn't do. Will I be in a movie with her again? No, but I'm not going to see her run out of Hollywood either. That gives her way too much importance."

"True. Well, I'm glad your mother has your back. Never take that for granted, Edward."

She sounded sad again so I scooted forward on the seat and turned her so she was straddling my legs. "I don't. And I hope you'll let her have your back, too, because I promise you she'll want to. I can't make up for the time you lost with your mother, Bella, but I can tell you it's going to be different from here on out. My mother will very much want to be a part of your life and I hope you'll let her." Her eyes welled up again. "She'll be a kick ass mother-in-law, that much I know."

Bella's tears spilled over and I wiped them away. "Please don't cry, baby."

She took a deep, shuddering breath. "You just don't know what it means when you offer up your family that way. When Emmett did it for Rose. It's no big deal for you, because you've always had it and your family is so close and open with one another and stuff. It's something I've always wanted and you're telling me it's mine now."

"It is. We are. You're my one and that makes you family. I promise you'll be treated that way from the first minute."

Bella smiled and I wiped the last of her tears away. "You're so much more than I ever dreamed you'd be." What did she mean? "You know, when I first set out to find you, I hoped we'd get along and you'd be cool. You seemed that way in interviews but you never know really what the public and private façade is. After all, your ex comes off as little Suzie Sunshine when she wants to." I snickered at that. It was true. Irina was excellent at being something else entirely in front of the cameras. "So I hoped you'd be a nice guy, but I never imagined you'd be this warm, this wonderful and this open and loving with me."

I held her close as her words washed over me. "I can't be anything but with you, Bella. You're my everything. And it meant so much when you saw beyond the celebrity and liked me for who I was."

Bella smiled and brushed her fingers through my hair. "You're my everything too. And I love who you are. I far prefer the man to the image."

I kissed her then, harder this time, because she was beautiful and wonderful and mine. Bella moaned and rubbed herself against me. "I love you," I told her as I moved my hands down her body.

"I love you, too. So much." I undid the little ties at the back of her bikini and it loosened. Bella sat back and helped me pull it off her. She grinned and pushed herself back, letting her breasts appear above the water. Her nipples were incredibly hard in the cool air and I had to have them. I pulled her back on my lap, with her knees on my legs so that I could suck on her nipple. So incredible. I tasted chlorine and Bella as I licked and flicked it with my tongue. My fingers mimicked my movements on the other nipple. "Edward," she gasped.

With my free hand, I tugged on the bottoms. Bella lifted her legs and helped me to get them off her, then she reached down and freed me of my shorts. "I want you, now," she told me.

I lived to serve. I stood and she wrapped her legs around me, my cock brushing against her pussy. I positioned her and my eyes held hers as I slid inside her. It felt amazing, the hot water, her hot, tight pussy wrapped around me, the jets pounding both of us as we thrust together. I pressed her against the wall, giving her a little support so I could go deeper inside her.

Bella moaned and clung to me, arching her hips into mine. One of the jets was hitting both of us where we were joined and damned if I wasn't about to blow my load from that alone. I fingered Bella's clit as I took her.

"Yes," she yelped as I thrust up into her. My eyes crossed as the jet hit my balls. Christ.

"I'm going to come soon, baby," I warned her.

She nodded. "Me, too. Harder, Edward. Fuck me harder."

Jesus. Who didn't love hearing that? I thrust harder into her and rolled her clit between two fingers. She screamed and tightened around me. Finally. I thrust into her and the jet one more time and lost it, coming deep inside her as she held onto me for dear life. "Jesus, baby," I managed when I could speak again.

"Mmm," she murmured. I chuckled as I slid out of her and lowered us into the nearest seat. "I want to spend all cold nights just like this."

I laughed and held her to me. "I'll make it happen." Someday I would.

* * *


	35. Chapter 35

"You're such a wuss," Bella told me, laughing as we rushed inside from playing in the snow. Well, okay, we were out there for about half an hour before I decided enough was enough, but still.

"I'm not a wuss," I protested, stomping the snow off my boots before leaving them to dry by the front door. My coat followed. She'd gotten me good in the snow battle that I'd foolishly started. What she lacked in velocity she made up for in deadly aim. "You don't want me to get sick, do you?"

Bella snickered as she kicked off her boots and hung her coat next to mine. She poked my arm with a wet mitten and I jumped away from her. "See, you are a wuss."

"I can't help it if I've lived in California too long." It didn't snow in Hollywood, thank you very much.

"The people of Chicago are going to revoke your residency." She punctuated that by pulling me close to her and kissing me. That was fine. They could kick me out of anywhere so long as Bella got to come with me. I sank into the kiss, hard, cold lips on mine, fire moving through me at her touch and her sexy body pressed against me. There was nothing better than this.

"I'm much warmer now," I informed her, trying to pull her closer.

"Yeah?" she asked with a smile. I nodded and her smile turned wicked. "Good." Before I could react, a handful of snow was thrown down my shirt and Bella took off running. The cold was a complete shock after the warmth of her body and I yanked the sweatshirt and t-shirt off, wiping myself with it.

"You're in trouble now, baby!" I yelled. I listened but heard no response. She'd headed upstairs so that was the place to look. Before that, though, I stopped in the kitchen and got a bowl and filled it with ice. I wasn't going back outside to get more snow and this would be just as effective.

I climbed the stairs, calling her name. I could swear I heard a giggle from our bedroom so that's where I headed. I stepped in the doorway and was immediately hit with a snowball right in the center of my bare chest. Fuck that was cold. I let out a manly yell and dropped my bowl of ice as I tried to brush it off.

Bella crept over to me sporting a very sheepish smile and holding out a towel. I scowled at her and she bent to pick up the ice. "What was this for?" she asked.

I grabbed a piece and shoved it down her sweater. She shrieked and twisted to get it free. "Payback."

She giggled as she tossed the cube in the bowl. "Mine was better."

I scowled over at the French doors. Stupid awesome balcony. "Yes, it was."

Bella stood and pulled me to my feet, wrapping her arms around me. "I'm sorry. How'd you like me to make it up to you?"

Well, that certainly held some promise. I squeezed her ass and smiled down at her. "What did you have in mind?"

She grinned. "How about a nice hot bath followed by some hot casserole? And if you're a good boy, later we'll have hot chocolate."

I smiled back at her. That sounded perfect. "I'll be a very good boy, Bella."

That earned me a laugh. "We'll see about that." She took my hand and tugged me into the bathroom. We'd been in here last night but had kept it strictly PG, well, maybe PG-13. There'd been an orgasm or two thrown in, but that was it. Our bodies had been liquefied after we'd made good on our massage promises. Somehow I'd managed not to take her even when though she'd been moaning and naked and my hands had been all over her. I'd obviously done a good job because she'd been completely relaxed this morning. She'd worked some major kinks out of my lower back as well. My girl has wonderful hands.

Bella bent to start the water and I smacked her ass since it was right there. She yelped and turned around to glare at me. "Watch it, Mr. Cullen. That doesn't go into the good boy column, you know."

I gave her my best smirk as I unbuttoned my jeans. "I thought you girls liked bad boys."

She tilted her head and thought it over for a few seconds. "I suppose we like to play with them for awhile but if they don't change, we dump them to marry the good boys." She tugged off her sweater and the t-shirt she wore underneath, revealing a dark green bra. It was sexy.

"Well, you're lucky. You get both with me." I pulled down my jeans and boxers and kicked them off.

Bella eyed me hungrily as she unhooked her bra. "Is that so?"

I grinned and unbuttoned her jeans for her. She batted halfheartedly at my hands as I unzipped them too. "Sure, I'm an actor. I can be whatever you want me to be." Her jeans slid over her hips and her pretty green panties followed, revealing long, gorgeous legs. She stepped out of them and I threw her clothes on the pile with the rest of them.

Bella slipped her arms around my neck when I stood up. "I just want you to be to you."

"With the occasional accent," I reminded her.

She giggled. "Yeah, there is that." I kissed her and steered her toward the tub, helping her in before getting in behind her. It was a huge, round tub with plenty of room for the two of us. I relaxed against the back and Bella leaned against my chest, the water and bubbles sloshing around us. It was hard to believe that we only had a few days left. Tomorrow would be Friday already. Time was flying and before I knew it, I'd be heading to Berlin to film _Steele_ and staying in Europe for about half a year.

I'd finished the script yesterday and Marcus and Garrett had been right about it. This movie had Oscar written all over it. Kate would surely win and if I played it right, I had as good a shot as anyone. The writing was incredible, the costumes would no doubt be killer and the cast was amazing. I'd sent a message to Marcus that I was in and told him to get it done. Bella had been thrilled, though of course neither of us was exactly excited about the timing. She'd be busy with school, and I'd be busy filming so maybe we'd both be too occupied to miss one another too much. Oh, who was I kidding? I'd miss the hell out of her.

"I heard back from Marcus," I told her.

Bella hummed and tilted her head to look at me. "What did he say?"

"It's a done deal. I'll start filming September eighteenth in London."

"That's great, Edward. I'm really excited for you to do this movie. Everybody's going to see what a great actor you are!"

She meant it; I could see it in her eyes. "They wanted me a week earlier than that but I asked for some time off."

"Oh?" She bit her lip and eyed me. "Why not just go straight from one movie to the other?"

Silly girl, like I'd forget. "Did you think I wouldn't be spending your birthday with you?" I asked. Bella shrugged and I shook my head. "Really? Baby, I don't care where in the world I might be, I'm damn well going to spend your birthday with you every year."

She smiled. "Really? I'm not very big on birthdays."

For obvious reasons. She hadn't had a mother worth a damn and I doubted her father cared for huge birthday parties filled with boisterous little girls. From what Bella had told me, simple and quiet was Charlie Swan's cup of tea.

"Well, I'm very big on your birthday. It should be a national holiday. An international one, for that matter." She giggled at my addition. "It's definitely going to be an Edward Cullen holiday. I shall never work on a September thirteenth ever again." I said the last part in the English accent just to make her laugh harder. She did and her smile lit up the room.

"You'd really fly all the way back here for my birthday? I'd come to London, God would I love to, but my classes start back up on the twenty-sixth of August."

Damn classes. I wanted to tell her to chuck them and just come be with me forever but I knew she'd balk at that, at least she would right now. We'd yet to talk about what would happen someday when we got married. She could work if she wanted to, of course, but her students and their parents would all know she was married to me and I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing or what. I didn't know ultimately what Bella would want to do but we had time to figure that out. I wasn't going to press her on the issue now.

I skimmed my fingers over her right arm and she shivered despite the hot water. I loved how she reacted to the simplest touch from me. "Of course I'd fly in for your birthday. I've got about two weeks between shoots and I plan to spend as much time with you as I can, though you'll have to go to class so we'll be staying in Seattle."

She pouted at that one. "That's going to suck, sitting in class knowing you're waiting for me."

I grinned as I imagined her wiggling in her seat. "I'll be sure to send you little reminders of the fact that I'm at home, naked, waiting on you."

"Naked?" she squeaked. "Do you want me to fail out in the first few weeks?"

Well, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but no. "Of course not, baby. We'll be working on your concentration skills. You're going to need to be able to tune out certain stimuli; noisy students, commotions in the hallway, a fellow teacher yelling at some idiot who didn't turn in their homework. This would just be another form of that."

She scowled. "A way different form that I'd never have to confront in the classroom."

I smirked. "How do you know? Some super hot student could turn you on."

Bella sniffed at that. "I highly doubt that, when I have you to come home to."

I wasn't worried about it but I had to get my wish in for tomorrow. "Well, we could find out if Ms. Swan were to hold a class this week…" I trailed off suggestively and let my fingers creep over to trace the very top of her breast that was visible above the water.

Bella moaned softly and arched her neck toward me. I took that as an invitation and kissed her there, running my tongue over her pulse point. "There's still one school day left, you know," she told me breathlessly.

"So there is." Please, God, let her hold a class tomorrow. I'd yet to decide what kind of student I should be. She'd already been the naughty girl, so would bad boy be overdone? I could be the kiss ass Eddie Haskell type, eager to please. I was very eager to please Ms. Swan.

She just smiled mysteriously and leaned into my kisses. I nibbled on her soft skin. I cupped her breasts and ran my thumbs over her nipples, which responded instantly to my touch, hardening so easily. "Edward," she murmured and I felt her hand on my leg. Oh yeah. It inched between our bodies and she soon had a hold of my cock. She couldn't do much more than squeeze and slightly move from her position, but that was okay. I kissed along her jaw line as I slid my right hand down her stomach and between her legs. Bella moaned as I stroked her clit.

"You know, I shouldn't make you feel good after you attacked me with snow," I pointed out, not that I was about to stop touching her.

"Maybe not, but you want to anyway," she told me.

How well she knew me. But I could still have some fun with her. "Stand up, Bella." She turned and gave me a surprised look but I just raised an eyebrow. She released me and pushed off the side of the tub to stand. I watched the water slide down her body and licked my lips at the sight of her wet and naked before me. "Turn around." Though I'd miss her perfect ass. Bella turned to face me and I pointed to the side of the tub. "Put your leg up there." Her left leg went up and she was open right in front of me. I leaned forward and licked her once. Bella gasped. "Hold on, baby." She held on to the towel rack behind my head as I went to work, swirling my tongue over her clit as I slid two fingers inside of her. "How do you like that, beautiful?"

"God!" she managed, her head thrown back. She was holding on to the towel rack with all she was worth, I could see her arm muscles flexing as I worked her over with my tongue and fingers. "So close, baby," she cried as I nipped her clit gently. This was probably going to get me in trouble but I had to do it. I pulled away from her and she cried in frustration. "Don't stop!"

"Payback's a bitch!" I told her. She let out a scream of frustration and the next thing I knew my head was underwater. I came up sputtering. She was still standing in front of me, her brown eyes snapping with temper. She looked fantastic. I brushed the bubbles out of my hair and tried to give her an angry look, even though I really wanted to laugh. "I don't get you off and you try to drown me? I'm calling the cops."

Her hands went to her hips. She was so gorgeous. I wanted to lick every inch of her. "Go right ahead. I'm sure my dad would be thrilled to get a call that I'd gotten arrested because my boyfriend refused to get me off."

I snickered. "Like you'd tell him that was why? I think it might be worse for you."

Her eyes narrowed. "It'd be embarrassing as hell for me, sure, but it'd be worse for you. The man has guns."

I smiled up at her as I ran my hands over her thighs. "So you're saying if I don't get you off, your dad will shoot me?"

Bella's lips twitched as she fought to keep from laughing. "Yes."

I didn't bother to contain my laughter, but I pulled her closer to me. "In that case, I'd better get to work." Bella eyed me suspiciously but I pushed her legs apart and started licking her again. She put her hands back on the towel rack and held on as I licked and sucked on her clit while I fucked her with my fingers.

"So good!" she cried as I hummed around her clit. I swirled my tongue again and curled my fingers inside her, setting her off. She was so beautiful when she came. Her head fell back, her eyes were closed and her graceful body locked in place. One hand fell from the towel rack and gripped my hair, holding me to her pussy as she came down.

"Better, baby?" I asked.

She smirked as she released her grip on my hair. "Maybe." She pulled away from me and sat at the opposite side of the tub. That wasn't cool. There was far too much room in this thing. It was a mini-version of the hot tub and could hold three easily, four would be a tight fit but doable, were you into that sort of thing. I wasn't.

"Come back here," I pleaded. Bella smiled and just shook her head. "Why not?"

"Because you were a terrible tease," she replied.

"But I made good on it." I pouted and she giggled at the expression on my face. I was hard and aching and needed to be inside her. Or to at least have her hands on me.

"Only after I threatened you with a shooting!" She was so cute, glaring at me from across the tub.

"That wasn't very nice, baby. I was just getting back at you for the snow."

"Not the same." She crossed her arms. I reached under the water and grabbed her foot and pulled her back to me. She squealed. "Damn it, Edward!" I moved into the center of the tub so she was straddling me. Would this work? Maybe, though our movement was going to be limited. Thank God this tub was big.

"What?" I asked as I rubbed my cock against her. "Don't you want me?" I nearly broke into song but that might make her not want me at all. Musicals were the one genre of film that I'd never do. Well, that and porn, unless of course said porn was with Bella and for our eyes only.

Bella made a little noise and I rubbed against her again. "Is that a no? I could take care of myself I guess." I made my voice incredibly sad as I reached between us. I stroked myself, making sure my hand brushed against her on each pass. Her eyes rolled a little and she stilled my hand.

"No, it's not a no."

I had to think about it. Then it was a yes. "So, yes, then?"

She laughed. "Do you even need to ask?"

"Yes. No means no. I'd always respect that."

Bella kissed me softly. "I know, handsome. But I want you, pretty much all the time."

I smiled as she lifted her hips and sank down on top of me. She felt so good around me. "I want you all the time, too."

She kissed me again. "Then take me, while you can." So I did. Our hips moved together and we both held on to the tub to give us some leverage. It was slow and a little awkward but it felt good and when Bella started making those noises indicating that she was close I moved my fingers over her clit. She moaned and came hard around me. I thrust deep inside her and let myself go as well. I loved it. I loved her, of course, but I loved how we were together. We could fuck hard or make love softly or tease or taunt and just be ourselves. I never had to pretend to be someone I wasn't with Bella. The more time I spent with her, the harder I fell.

"I love you."

She lifted her head from my shoulder, where it had landed when she calmed, and smiled at me. "I love you, too."

I stroked her cheek and stared into her gorgeous brown eyes. "I always will."

She smiled. "Me, too." I knew that, but it was still nice to hear. We were quiet for a few minutes, just holding one another until my stomach growled and Bella laughed. "Now that I've taken care of one of your hungers, how about I take care of another?"

I grinned. I was starving. "That sounds great." I held her hands as she pushed out of the tub. She got out and I got up, taking a towel from her and drying her off before she dried me off. I loved this. I wanted this for always. Some day. I had to just keep reminding myself of that.

Xoxoxoxox

"I'm gonna check on them," I told Bella after we cleaned up the kitchen. Our casserole was officially done. That made me sad.

Bella laughed. "You just want to put off your ass kicking." I smirked at her. She'd challenged me to a game of pool and she thought she was some kind of hot shit at the game. This should be fun.

"I'm not worried," I told her as I hit dial on my phone.

"What?" an angry voice growled on the other end. Jeez.

"I was just checking to see if you and Rose were alive."

"Alive and well and busy," he replied, sounding out of breath.

Oh hell. "Are you fucking right now, Emmett?"

"Hey, don't get huffy with me, you're the one that called and interrupted. Why don't you and Bella go back to Monopoly or whatever you're doing and leave me and Rose to the good stuff?" He let out a loud cry and I had to end the call. "Did you know that Rose has no gag reflex?" he asked. Yeah, I was done.

"Goodbye, Emmett."

"Bye." He was gone just like that.

Bella was watching me with wide eyes. "They were having sex?"

I shrugged. "They were doing something that I'm better off not knowing about. I already know more about Rose than I really wanted to."

Bella giggled. "I told you not to call."

"And I should have listened to you. Now I'm scarred for life."

She shook her head. "Somehow I bet Emmett's scandalized you more than whatever he said on the phone."

That was true. We did live together. "I still didn't need to hear it."

"Poor baby." Bella patted my back and headed into the living room. "Now are you ready to be even more traumatized?"

My girl was a shit talker. I loved it. "I'm ready to watch you bend over with a long stick in your hands," I replied. That earned me a poke with said stick. "What? It's the beauty of playing pool with a sexy woman."

Bella smirked as she arranged the balls. Balls, sticks, racks, scratches. Pool was really kind of dirty, wasn't it? I stood back and watched her bend and move around the table. I was all for playing a very different game, a real dirty one.

She had the balls arranged and removed the triangle thing and smiled at me. "Shall I break or do you want to?"

"Ladies first," I told her. I stood behind and admired the way her soft pants hugged her ass. Was she wearing underwear? It didn't look like it. "You did that on purpose," I accused.

Bella looked at me over her shoulder and it took all I had not to push her down and take her then and there. "Did what?" She was smiling and looking awfully proud of herself.

"You didn't wear underwear."

"Maybe I'm out of them," she suggested.

That was…yeah. "For real?" I didn't know how to feel about that. On the one hand, yay easy access. On the other hand, I really liked the sexy little numbers she'd been wearing all week.

Bella giggled and ignored me, hitting the ball expertly and sending both a solid and a striped ball into separate pockets. "Damn," I muttered.

She just laughed. "I'll be solids." She sank the blue ball next followed by the purple one.

"Am I going to get a turn?" I demanded.

She laughed and hit in the red one. "Maybe." She missed on the yellow so it was my turn. I had a shitton of balls on the table compared to her. I went for the red striped one and scratched. Bella smirked but said nothing, pulling the ball out of the pocket and lining it up with the orange one, which she knocked into the corner pocket.

Since I was clearly getting my ass kicked, I just stood back and admired the view. When she bent over to hit the yellow ball, her shirt rode up. Fuck me. She was doing this on purpose. I was horny and she knew it. She missed and it was my turn, like I could concentrate on those balls when my own were aching.

I did manage to hit the blue striped one into a side pocket before missing the green one. Bella cleaned up her burgundy and yellow balls and only had the black one left. She turned to me and smiled. "Eight ball, corner pocket." She gestured to where it was going and yeah, she had a pretty good shot. She bent over the table and I reached out and grabbed her ass just as she hit the ball. The cue ball shot into the corner pocket and she missed completely.

"I win!" I declared. I started doing a victory dance as she lunged at me.

"You do not win! You're a cheater!" I ran around the table and she chased me, brandishing her stick like a weapon.

"The rule is if you scratch when going for the eight ball, your opponent wins." I was breathless from laughing at the outrage on her face. She really hated to lose. Technically she hadn't because of what I'd done but I wasn't about to admit that.

"I'm going to go for some balls in a minute," she threatened, coming around the corner. I quickly hurried to the other side.

"You know, baby, you're a poor loser. First with _Words_ , now with pool."

"I didn't lose _Words_ , you did! You forfeited!"

Damn that game for forfeiting. "But I was winning, therefore you lost."

"Oh no, you lost, that's what forfeiting is. It's refusing to compete because you're going to get your ass kicked. I won; you lost, just like here."

She looked so mad. It was so fucking cute. "My ass appears to be just fine."

Bella let out a little yell and threw herself across the table. Balls flew and I was too shocked to move as she slammed into me. I managed to plant myself before we both hit the floor but it was close. She managed not to tumble over the pool table, sitting there on her knees. I held her by her shoulders. This was interesting.

Her face was flushed, breathing heavily, and she looked positively delectable. It would be so easy just to yank off those pants and slam into her. "I won," she told me, her voice threatening.

"Looks like I did," was all I could manage before I kissed her hard. She grunted and sat up on her knees, wrapping her arms around me and yanking on my hair almost painfully. Fuck yes. I reached down and pulled on her pants, glad she'd worn that stretchy material. It came right down, no problem at all. I tossed it over my shoulder and yanked her closer to the edge. "Fuck, I want you."

"You can take me," she replied, reaching between us to unbutton my pants. She yanked them and my boxers part of the way down. I pulled her toward my cock but she pulled back. "After you admit I won."

"Competitive little thing, aren't you?" I loved that she was resisting me, when we both knew she wanted me just as much as I wanted her.

"Yes. So if you want to win, admit that I won first."

I pretended to think about it while I pulled her shirt off. She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest again. Teasing her was so much fun. "I suppose that you might have won due to interference."

She laughed. "I would have won anyway. You sank one measly ball!"

"That's because my two balls were giving me issues because you were practically naked. Technically you cheated first."

Bella shook her head. "I didn't do anything. And I was perfectly well dressed."

"No, now you're perfectly dressed, or you will be once you lose the bra and let me see your beautiful breasts." I pouted. "Please baby."

She unhooked her bra and shrugged it off, but covered her chest back up. "Admit that I won."

"Can we call it a tie?"

Bella laughed. "No. We can tie when your cock's inside me, not before."

Jesus. Like I could hold out against that? "Okay, you won."

"No caveats. Not because I cheated, not because you made me miss, I just straight up kicked your ass."

"Yes you did. Now let me fuck you."

She giggled and lowered her arms. "Okay." She scooted to the edge of the pool table and I entered her immediately. It was awkward with my jeans still half on but I had to be inside her. I grunted and she screeched as I fucked her hard and fast on the pool table. This was another fantasy I was getting to live and again it eclipsed anything I'd ever imagined. It felt hot and dirty.

Bella moaned and wrapped her legs around me as I pressed her back into the table. She was spread out like a Thanksgiving feast and I was a very thankful man. I thrust into her over and over, working up a sweat as she held onto the table for dear life. It wasn't long before she was coming and yelling my name. I thrust into her for several more minutes; flicking her clit and making her come again before I let myself go.

"Damn," Bella managed when I pulled out of her and helped her sit back up. "That was…"

"I know. Who knew you losing a game of pool would be so hot?"

She slapped my chest and I laughed and pulled her close. "We both won."

"The most important game," she agreed. That we did.


	36. Chapter 36

The beeping of the alarm clock was usually my least favorite way to wake up, but this time, I knew what it meant. The instant that first beep sounded, I sat straight up in bed and reached for the note on the night stand without even bothering to shut it off. That obnoxious sound was the best sound ever as far as I was concerned.

_Rise and shine, young Mr. Cullen. I'm afraid it's a school day, but at least it's Friday, so you have the weekend to look forward to. Let's see if we can send the school week out with a bang, why don't we? Your clothes are in the bathroom and school will be in session at eight AM sharp. Don't be late!_

As if I would ever be late for school. I wanted my bang. Or should I be late? It'd been pretty damn hot when she was late. I set her note aside. It was going to join the other two in a place of safe keeping so I could frame them or something. I finally turned off the alarm and listened for a moment, but I couldn't hear a thing. Whatever Ms. Swan was up to, she was doing it quietly.

I got out of bed and hurried to the bathroom, anxious to see what she'd left for me to wear this time. I burst out laughing the instant I saw what was on top of the clothing pile. Glasses, huh? It seemed my girl had chosen for me and I was going to be the geek I'd been once again. Well, it wasn't going to be a stretch. I put the glasses on and grinned at my reflection. I was very Clark Kent all of a sudden, with the thick black frames sitting on my nose. I left them there and picked up the black shirt that was on top.

"Holy shit!" Where did she get this and would she laugh at me if I asked her? Coolest shirt ever. It was the Death Star and it was totally bad ass. What in the hell was the box thing hanging off it for? I hit the button and all of a sudden it made a blasting noise and it frigging lit up! It was shooting out a tractor beam! Seriously, where did she get this thing? I wanted more.

Fuck, I needed to focus. I had a sexy teacher coming my way and I should get ready for that instead of worrying about where this awesome t-shirt had come from. I'd get her to tell me. I had my ways. Black jeans completed the look, or so I thought until I picked them up and some suspenders were there. She wanted me to wear suspenders? Just how geeky did she think I was? Well, it was worth it for my teacher fantasy and they were blue so they went well with the Death Star.

I hopped in and took a quick shower, trying my best not to focus on what Bella was doing. I was already hard; I certainly didn't need the help of my imagination. I dried off and pulled on my boxers and jeans before putting on my badass shirt. I may have pressed the button a few more times before I bothered with the rest of it. What? It was cool! I tucked the shirt in, nerd style, and put the silly suspenders on over my t-shirt. I looked like that idiot Urkel from that stupid show that Emmett had liked. Ah well, this is what my girl wanted and I would give it to her. I ran my fingers through my hair, making sure it stuck up in a billion different directions and then slid the glasses on. Yes, I was now a nerd. Well, I'd always been one, few just got to see it anymore. Hopefully Bella would like it.

A glance at the clock told me it was seven minutes until eight so I hurried downstairs, detouring into the kitchen to grab an apple before heading into the office that would serve as my classroom for the day. Nerds were never late; they were always early and anxious to learn. I was very anxious to learn. I wondered what Ms. Swan was going to teach me today.

I placed the apple on her desk and then sat in the chair that Bella had left for me, anxious as hell for the day to start. I still had a few minutes, so I conjured up the image I had in my head of Ms. Swan in all her glory, that photo she'd sent to me, the first time I'd ever laid eyes on the girl that I loved with my heart now. To think I'd found her hot then. She exceeded all my expectations when we met. Thank God she'd found me.

"Good morning, class!" Her voice was bright and cheery as she strolled into the classroom. I whipped my head around to see her and nearly swallowed my tongue at the sight that met my eyes. She was my every fantasy come to life. She was wearing a black fitted skirt that fell to her knees, a white blouse, much more demure than the one in the photo and her own pair of glasses and black high heels. Fuck me. Her hair was up in a bun, just like it had been in the photo. My hands were actually reaching for her, wanting to get in there and mess up that perfect librarian hair she was rocking. I stifled a groan and shifted in my seat as she reached the desk and set down the books she'd been holding. I'd totally missed that she was carrying anything; I'd been too focused on the hotness in front of me. It was probably a damn good thing that I hadn't a teacher that looked like her in high school. I would have failed for sure, although then I'd get to take her class again so there was a bright side.

Bella came around to the front of the desk and leaned against it, resting her gorgeous ass just barely on the wood. She had a professional smile on her face, not too friendly, but not too forbidding. I wanted to attack her, but that's not how a good nerd would behave. I looked away from her, focusing on my own knees in an attempt to keep myself from acting inappropriately too early in the game.

"As you may know, today is a very special day." It was? I looked up and saw her gazing at me, a slight smile on her lips. "Instead of our normal lesson plan, I've been asked to talk to you all about something very important." What was this? Where was she going? I was baffled. "Initially this was supposed to be covered in health class but budget cuts have dictated that we do things a little differently." Health class? Oh, wait a minute, surely she wasn't…

"So consider this Sex Ed 101." Oh, fuck me, she was. She smiled brightly and held up a hand. "Enough with the laughter and the jokes, please. I know most of you have been through this before, hopefully with your parents instead of your friends. And I'm not naïve enough to think some of you don't have hands on experience."

I groaned and shifted in my seat. I needed some hands on something pretty soon. Bella pushed off the desk and stood right in front of me. I held on to the edge of the chair tightly so I wouldn't touch her. "Who in here has a boyfriend or girlfriend?" I did, of course, but nerdy high school me probably didn't. Bella looked around the room and nodded a few times. "Wow, the whole class? Except for one or two of you." Her eyes were on me and I felt my cheeks heating. That would suck, if I was the only virgin in a classroom full of sex fiends, wearing my Star Wars shirt. Maybe I should punctuate my perceived loser status by pushing the button and making the shooting noise.

"How many of you are sexually active?" Another pause as supposed hands were raised. I wanted to laugh. Like kids would admit to it. Well, some would, of course, and some would lie to be cool, but I knew I wasn't supposed to be one of those. I was the geek, after all. I was playing video games instead of sexual ones. Thank God this wasn't real.

"Well, since it appears that all of you except for Mr. Cullen are experts, class dismissed." What? I jerked in surprise and Bella waved a hand toward the door. "Have a good weekend, all. Mr. Cullen, please stay here." I had to contain my glee at the thought of being alone at last with Ms. Swan. Fake me should be feeling pretty low and humiliated right now, so I kept my head down, avoiding her gaze.

"Edward," she said quietly, stopping in front of me. "Would you please look at me?"

I did so, running my eyes over her gorgeous body before I met her gaze with my own. I pushed my glasses back a bit, as they were falling down my nose. "So you have no sexual experience at all?"

Jeez. What if my hot teacher had asked me that in high school? My answer would totally be real. I shook my head, opting not attempt to speak yet.

"How can that be?" she murmured, running a hand through my hair. Bolts of electricity shot through me at her touch and again I had to hold myself to the chair. I needed a real desk so I had something to hold on to. That, of course, had me picturing myself holding onto the desk in front of us as I pounded into the delectable Ms. Swan. Focus.

"I, uh, nobody likes me like that," I managed to say.

She made a noise and the hand in my hair moved around to cup my chin, forcing me to look at her. "That just isn't true. You're a very handsome young man."

I tried to shake my head but she wouldn't let me, still holding me. "Trust me, Edward." She released my face and then went back to her desk, walking around it, letting me see how the skirt stretched over her tight little ass. Fuck. She sat down and folded her hands atop the desk, studying me intently.

"Tell me, Mr. Cullen, you have no experience whatsoever?" I shook my head again. "You've never kissed a girl?"

"Uh, well." If we were going on personal experience back then, I had done that much, though it didn't really count.

Her eyes sharpened at that. "So you have kissed a girl?"

I shrugged and tried to look embarrassed. "Sort of."

"What does sort of mean, Mr. Cullen? Either you have or you haven't." Her voice was sharper now, like she was annoyed that I'd been kissed. I loved it.

"I kissed Molly Sanders in the second grade when we played kissing tag," I told her, really fast, like I was embarrassed about it. Of course, I would be embarrassed to admit that to a teacher. That was the only kiss I had until I filled out. And Molly had cried. It hadn't exactly made me feel like a stud.

"Oh," Ms. Swan said. "And nothing since then?"

I shook my head. "Okayyyyy," she drew out the word, like she was thinking about something. "Do you know about sex, Edward?" Fuck, the way she said my name, her voice dripping with the very act she was questioning me about. "Do you know how everything works?"

"Um, yes?" I said, making it sound more like a question than an answer.

"How do you know?" she asked, leaning forward again. It was then that I noticed that one of her buttons had magically come undone. I couldn't see anything major, yet, but definitely a little more skin. Fuck yes.

"I've, uh, seen movies before," was my response. I felt all tongue tied and even a little embarrassed. She was doing a great job of drawing me into the scene, making me feel like the inexperienced teenager I was supposed to be. It didn't hurt that I was drawing so much on reality for the part either.

"Movies? Pornographic movies?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and sounding almost stern. It worked perfectly with the bun and the glasses.

"They're not mine!" I told her quickly. "My brother owns some."

"And he shared them with you?" she asked, her voice mild.

Of course he had. Emmett had given me my first porn, my first condoms and even knew the first time I'd been with a girl. "Yes. He thought I should know how it goes, when the time came." Like the first time was filled with girls who could suck your cock for half an hour with no problem and would let you fuck them up the ass. Emmett had not chosen wisely.

"Did you like what you saw on those videos, Edward?" Jesus. Her voice could not be more suggestive if she tried. It was deeper and sexier and I wanted to take her right now.

"Um, yes, Ms. Swan?" Again with the question and the stammering. I didn't even have to try really.

"Do you feel that it taught you all you needed to know?" Oh Christ, another button was open and I could see the lacy beige edge of her bra.

"What?" I croaked, my eyes on her perky tits.

"Do you think that you learned everything you need to know from the porn you watched, or would you like a little of my expertise?"

God damn. "I…I don't know." Real young Edward would probably have run out of the room by now. Horny older Edward wasn't going anywhere.

"Hmm, well why don't we find out? Stand up and come over here, Mr. Cullen."

Hell to the yes. I managed not to leap out of my chair, instead getting up slowly, trying to act nervous and unsure about what was going on. I shuffled over to her desk, standing in front of it, two or three feet of distance between us. She remained sitting and I could see down her blouse perfectly now. My hands itched to take her breasts and squeeze them.

"Videos can teach you lots of things. They can help with learning to read or learning a language or how to build something, or exercise, but do you honestly think they can teach you how to touch someone?" she asked.

Hell no. Hands on was the way to go. "I guess not?" I asked, my eyes still on her chest.

She laughed lightly as she stood and leaned across the desk, her beautiful face just inches from mine. "Do you remember what it felt like to kiss Molly all those years ago?"

I shook my head. "Not really. It was over very quickly." I didn't add the part about her crying. A man had his pride.

"And do you think you learn how to kiss from watching people kiss on TV?"

I shrugged. "It's just lips on lips, right?" I asked, sounding unsure.

Her eyes twinkled with laughter behind her glasses. I wanted to lick and bite all over her. She should always wear those things. "The fact that you think so tells me that you need some help. Do you want me to help you, Edward?"

This was it. I gulped and nodded. "Yes, Ms. Swan."

She gave me a sexy, slow, knowing smile that made my cock throb. "Your kiss with Molly, I'm guessing it was a little peck, like this?" Before I could react, her lips touched mine lightly and were gone a second later. I just stood there, staring at her, like young Edward would have done, if he didn't do something embarrassing like faint, run or come in his pants. "Was it like that, Edward?"

I nodded. "Yes, except it was wetter, our lips kind of mashed together."

Bella smirked. "There's nothing wrong with a wet kiss, but we'll get to that in a moment." Fuck, she was sexy. "Let's try a regular kiss again." And with that, her lips were on mine, firmly pressed against them, close mouthed but for longer than the last time. "Very good, Edward. That was better than your kiss with Molly, wasn't it?"

"Yes," I told her, because it was a billion times better.

She smiled and touched my cheek lightly. "Did you like it?"

"Of course," I told her. I swear I felt flushed. Younger Edward was making himself known.

"Do you want more, Edward?"

Like there was any doubt? "Yes, Ms. Swan." Her lips were on mine again, and this time they opened a bit and she sucked my lower lip into her mouth. I groaned when she bit down gently.

"How was that, Mr. Cullen?"

She was smiling sweetly at me now, like she wasn't some seductress bent on deflowering me. Did I have a flower? Well, whatever, she wanted to devirginize me and I was ready, willing and able.

"It was good."

"Yes it was," she responded, licking her lip and making my cock ache with the need to be buried inside her. "Tell me, Edward, are you hard?"

As a rock, baby. But that's hardly the answer that virgin boy would give. "Am I what?" I stammered.

Bella smiled again. "Is your penis hard?" I had to fight not to laugh at that one. Bella never used the word penis. Peen even made her laugh. But Ms. Swan was instructing me, after all. "Are you sexually aroused?"

"I…yes?" I made my voice go up an octave, just to make it sound more real.

"Tell me, Edward, have you ever masturbated?"

The lotion bottle on my nightstand made that an easy answer. "Yes."

"So, you know how you like to be touched?" she asked. I nodded mutely as she came around the desk and stood in front of me. She nudged me so that I was seated the way she'd been earlier, not really on the desk but leaning against it.

"That's very good." I watched as she put her hand on my leg, about halfway up. "Now, about those wet kisses." Her other hand grabbed onto left suspender and pulled me to her. Her mouth was hot and wet on mine and I opened my mouth and let her inside, her tongue twisting and tangling with mine. She released me and pulled back, keeping her left hand on my leg. "That was very good, Edward. You may be inexperienced but you kiss very well."

"Thank you, Ms. Swan."

"Is there anything more you'd like to learn?" Her hand moved up, coming to rest right along my inner thigh, next to my cock but not quite touching me there.

"I don't know?" I asked, because I figured young me wouldn't be able to articulate just what he wanted to learn.

"Don't you want to know what it feels like to do other things, things you saw in those movies?" Her hand brushed over my cock then and I couldn't hold back the moan or stop myself from thrusting into her. "Is that a yes?"

"Hell yes," I grunted as her hand tightened around me through my jeans.

"Language, Mr. Cullen!" She tapped my cock and fuck it felt amazing.

"Sorry, Ms. Swan," I corrected myself. "I just got excited."

"When you watch those movies, do you ever want to touch the women you see on the screen?" she asked, running her fingers along the seam of my jeans. I wanted her to unbutton my jeans and free my cock so badly.

"Yes," I whispered, trying to pretend to be bashful.

"What would you like to touch, Edward?" Her voice, jeez. The woman was lethal.

"I don't know." Your breasts, your pussy, your ass, your thighs, that little spot on the small of your back that makes you shiver…I could go on and on baby.

"You don't know or you don't want to say?" Holy fuck, another button was undone. Playing bashful was making me miss very important skin revelations.

"Your chest," I said softly.

"My chest?" she asked, with a light laugh. "You mean my breasts?" I nodded, keeping my eyes on those perfect tits of hers. "Well, why don't you?" She took my right hand and placed it on her left breast. I moaned and did my best to pretend it was my first time touching her. Her bra was still on but her shirt was gaping open enough that I could see most of her breasts.

I flexed my fingers and squeezed her. She smiled and put her hand over mine. "Like this." Together we edged the cup down, revealing her puckered pink nipple. She guided my fingers there, rolling her nipple between her own fingers, showing me what she liked. I copied her movement and she let her head fall back as I brought my other hand up and did the same on her right breast. "Perfect, Edward. Do you want to do more than touch them?"

I wanted to bury my face in them and lick and suck and bite her everywhere. Shy Edward would have probably blown his load three times by now. "Yes."

"Do you want to taste me, Edward? Do you want to suck on my nipple?"

"God, yes."

She smiled as she untucked her blouse and unbuttoned it the rest of the way, pushing it open. She didn't take it off, though. "Take me into your mouth, Edward." This was the best class that ever existed. I'd pay a billion dollars to take this class, that's how good it was. I bent over and sucked her nipple into my mouth as Bella let out a soft moan. "Yes, that's good, Edward. Move your tongue over it." I did as I was told. This was hot as hell. I was taking direction like a champ. Bella would be a great director, no doubt about it. Or a great teacher, I suppose. "Mmm, perfect." Her hands were in my hair, tugging, driving me insane. "Now bite, gently." I did so, I wasn't about to let my inexperience hurt her in any way.

"That feels really good, Edward. Your mouth is very talented." You and I both know that, baby. I continued to lick and suck. I felt her hands at my jeans and prayed she was about to free me of the prison that was my jeans right now. "Do you want me to touch you too, Edward?"

I released her and nodded. "Yes, please, Ms. Swan."

She smiled and undid my jeans and zipper. Then she put her hands on my suspenders and pulled me off the desk. I so wanted to break character and make a crack about why she'd had me wear them, but I wasn't going to do that. She might punish me then. She unhooked them and pulled off my jeans and tugged my boxers down with them. I kicked my shoes off and she pulled them the rest of the way down. Now all I had on was my silly but awesome t-shirt.

"My, my, you're just full of surprises, Mr. Cullen."

"I am?" I asked, not sure what she was getting at.

"Who knew you were packing that underneath your clothes?" She stroked my cock and I grunted, unable to say anymore. "Is this how you touch yourself?" She fisted me and moved up and down.

"Yeah," I managed. Fuck, I was going to come before I got my final lesson, which better be learning how to fuck my hot teacher. "That feels too good, Ms. Swan. I can't…" she stopped touching me immediately and I wanted to cry.

"Have you ever wanted a blow job, Edward?" Multiple times daily. I nodded. "Do you want one now?"

Fuck yes. "Yes, please, Ms. Swan." She dropped to her knees, skirt and all, and licked the head of my cock. "Fuck!" I yelled, surprised she'd moved so quickly.

"Mr. Cullen, you continue to surprise me! Such bad language. And here I thought you were a good boy."

"I'm good," I grunted as she took me into her mouth, swirling her tongue on the underside of my cock. She made some humming noise around me and I nearly came on the spot. I put my hands in her hair and tugged at the pins that held it in place. Her hair fell down and brushed against my thighs as she worked me over with her mouth. "Love your hair. So sexy," I told her.

She released me and smiled up at me. The glasses needed to go. I plucked them off and sat them on the desk next to me. "Do you want to come in my mouth, Edward?"

Christ. One more word and I'd come right on her face since it was right there. "Yes, I'd like that."

She snickered. "I bet you would." She took me in her mouth again and I groaned as those sexy lips of hers tightened around me. She was so hot. I kept my hands in her hair as she worked me. She reached up and rolled my balls between her fingers and fuck, it felt incredible.

"Ms. Swan, I'm going to…" She hummed around me again and I exploded in her mouth. Bella took it all, swallowing and releasing me. I held out a hand to help her up. "Thank you," I told her, because it seemed apt to thank your teacher after she blew you.

She smiled. "You're very welcome, Edward. I think you're well on your way to becoming my star pupil."

Damn right I was. She'd never have a better student than me. "How do I become your star pupil?" I asked, trying to appear shy.

"Hmm, you could kiss me again," she suggested. "Show me what you've learned." So I kissed her, close mouthed at first, then I sucked on her bottom lip like she had mine before bringing my tongue into play. She sighed against my lips, sliding her fingers through my hair and kissing me back. "That was really, really good. You get an A for kissing."

I smiled. "You also showed me how to touch your chest."

"So I did." I brought my hands up and rolled her nipples. "And I taught you how to taste them." So I bent and took the right nipple in my mouth this time, moving my tongue over her, loving the sounds she made and the way she held my head to her breast, guiding me. "Very, very good, Edward. Another A."

I pulled back and smiled at her. She pushed my glasses up my nose. "Do you want to learn anything else, or do you feel that you're on par with your classmates now?"

I had so much more to learn and do. "I like learning new things," I told her, giving her my most hopeful look.

"Well, it's my job to teach you. What more would you like to learn?" she asked, smiling encouragingly at me.

She was going to make me say it. Okay. I could do it like the shy geek I was supposed to be. "I want to know what you feel like."

She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"I want to touch your, your…" I broke off and gestured toward her pussy. "Down there." Don't laugh, Cullen. Don't ruin it.

"My pussy, Edward. You want to know what my pussy feels like?" Jeez, I was getting hard again just hearing her say the word. Thank God. I didn't quite have the recovery time I had when I was sixteen, but Bella could always get me going.

"Yes."

"Say it, Edward. If you want to touch it, you need to say the word."

"Pussy," I whispered softly.

"Help me take my skirt off." She turned to the side and I saw the zipper there. I quickly undid it, pulling the zipper down, revealing sexy white thigh. I let my fingers brush over the skin revealed there and Bella gasped. "Very good initiative, Mr. Cullen. I'm impressed. Take it off, now." I slid the skirt down her legs, revealing that she was wearing those thigh high things and some teeny beige panties. She kept her shoes on, thank fuck, as she kicked the skirt away. She leaned back against the desk. "Go ahead and touch me."

So fucking hot. She was giving me permission and it was just so sexy. I ran my fingers over her thigh and she moaned as I reached her pussy, stroking the silky material that covered her, feeling her wetness. "Do you like that, Edward?"

"Yes. It feels amazing." That was nothing but the truth.

"Slide your fingers underneath the material and really touch me." I couldn't have possibly known how awesome it was to have Bella guide me this way. I reached beneath the silky material and stroked her clit. "How does that feel?" she asked me.

"So good. So wet and soft," I responded.

She arched her hips toward me. "Slide your finger inside me and tell me how that feels."

She was going to kill me, she really was. I did as she told me, sliding my pointer finger inside her, groaning at the wet heat that surrounded me. "Hot, very hot. It feels so good."

"Mmm, do you like that, Edward? Do you want to feel more?"

"Very much."

"Take my panties off." No problem there. I slid them right down and had them off seconds later. She smiled and spread her legs wide, leaning back further against the desk. "Touch me like this." She ran her fingers over her clit and I couldn't contain the moan at the sight of her touching herself. Holy hell. She rubbed little circles before sliding down and pushing two of her own fingers inside her. "Can you do that, Edward?"

"Yes." She moved her hand and I replaced it with my own, doing what she'd shown me, rubbing those small circles over her tender flesh before I pushed two fingers inside of her. So fucking good and tight. I groaned.

"You like that, don't you?" She sure did. Her skin was flushed and she was breathing heavily. She looked so fucking sexy with her shoes and stockings on and her shirt open and her bra pushed down. God damn.

"So much." I continued to fuck her with my fingers.

"Do you want to learn something else, Edward?"

"God, yes."

She smiled. "Did you like it when I put my mouth on you?"

Hell yes. "More than anything."

"Why don't you do the same for me?"

I tried to look like I wasn't sure about it, even though I was ready to feast on her. "You'd like that?"

"Very much, Edward. It would make feel as good as I made you feel."

"Will I like it?" I asked. Like that was even a question.

Bella smiled slowly and her fingers moved over her clit, rubbing her wetness. She then held them out to me. "Why don't you take a taste and see?"

So fucking hot. I was going to come again. I leaned down, still pumping her with my fingers and sucked hers into my mouth. I tasted my Bella there and I licked and sucked, just like I'd be doing on her clit momentarily. "What do you think, Edward?"

I released her fingers and smiled. "I think I like it, Ms. Swan."

"Well, why don't you give it a try then?"

Not a problem. I got to my knees in front of her and she spread her legs wide for me. So fucking sexy. I hesitated for a moment and she put her hands on my head and guided me toward her pussy. "Just lick me right there, where you were touching me." I did so, taking a tentative lick of her clit. Bella rewarded me with a soft moan, so I did it again, with more force. "Perfect, just like that. You can do the circles, like you were doing with your fingers." So I did. "And you could put your fingers back inside me. Do you feel how wet I am because of you, Edward?" I nodded as I slid my fingers inside her. "Oooh, that feels good." I nodded my head again and my tongue moved with me.

"Suck my clit into your mouth, Edward." I could have played dumb but elected not to, wanting to get my girl off and reward her for what a fabulous teacher she was. I wondered if she could get nominated for Teacher of the Year before she was officially a teacher. Not that I was about to explain what she was nominated for. I sucked her clit into my mouth and hummed. Bella called my name. "Yes, do that again and curl your fingers inside me." My girl wanted to get off and fast. Not a problem.

I hummed again as I curled my fingers, hitting her perfect spot. Bella held me to her pussy as she came around me, tightening on my fingers and stiffening against my tongue. So fucking sexy. I licked and sucked until she came down. "That was perfect, Edward. You get an A for oral abilities."

I laughed as I stood back up, hard and aching to be buried inside her. "I don't usually do well with speeches."

Bella laughed. "Just let your tongue do the talking, Mr. Cullen. You'll get an A every time." I tried to look bashful but it was hard to keep the grin off my face now. "You have just one more thing to learn before you're even more advanced than your classmates. Do you know what that is, Mr. Cullen?"

Please God, let it be. "Sex?" I asked, again in that higher tone.

She smiled. "Yes. You liked how it felt with your fingers inside me, didn't you?" I nodded vigorously and she laughed. "Don't you think it would feel even better with your cock inside me?" I was so glad she didn't say penis this time. I would have laughed.

"I think it would." All that wet heat wrapped around me. Yes, please.

She tugged me to her and kissed me hard. I could taste her and myself all mixed together and it was intoxicating. "Hold on to my thighs," she instructed when we broke apart. I did as she told me, gripping her and pulling her to me. "That's right; you know what to do now, don't you? Line your cock up and push it inside me." Finally. I was burning for her.

I pushed inside her, just the head of my cock and moaned at the feeling. Were I really a virgin, I'd probably come then and there. As it was, it wasn't going to take that long despite having come not too long ago. "That's right. All the way in," she murmured breathlessly as I slid home. "How does that feel?"

"So good," was about all I could say without throwing out a lot of fucks and other words that Ms. Swan might not approve of. "Now move in and out of me, Edward, take your time." I didn't want to. I wanted to fuck the shit out of her but right now we'd do it her way. I moved slowly in and out, doing my damndest not to just come. "Do you like that? Do you want to go faster?"

"Yes, faster," I told her. She smiled and shifted her hips, which let me slide deeper inside her. I groaned loud as I filled her.

"Fuck me faster then, Edward. Get that A+." I pounded into her then, driving her into the desk, her legs came up to wrap around my waist. "Touch my clit," she ordered as we thrust together. I did so, rubbing in circles as she'd shown me. "Yes, Edward, yes!" Her fingers dug into my shoulders as I fucked her hard. I flicked her clit and she came, tightening around me as I emptied myself inside her. God damn. There were no words.

I held on to her as we both came down and she pulled back and smiled at me. "I'd say that you're no longer behind your classmates anymore, Edward."

"No, I guess not. Thank you for teaching me, Ms. Swan."

She kissed me lightly. "Anytime."

I took that as my cue that we were done. "Fuck, baby, do you know how crazy you made me?"

Bella laughed and hugged me. "Do you know how fucking hot you are in glasses? God help me if you ever have to wear them in a movie."

I grinned and lifted her, carrying her over to her office chair and lowering us both into it. I wanted to hold her. "I could say the same about you, Ms. Swan. Those glasses, that hair, that outfit and those fuck me shoes? You better never wear this outfit to teach a class. You should wear really big dresses and sweaters."

She giggled and rested her head on my shoulder. "I don't think you have to worry about me repeating this lesson for anybody else."

"Better not, baby. I'll die if you ever tell me you have to teach sex ed."

Her beautiful laugh rang out and she kissed my neck. "I'd die if I had to teach sex ed, because I'd remember this and talking about ovaries and fallopian tubes would totally ruin my buzz."

She killed me. I laughed and kissed the top of her head. "Thanks for eclipsing my sexy teacher fantasy by a mile. You always improve upon them."

"That's my job."

"Where'd you get the shirt?" I asked. It was the only item I still had on and I looked rather ridiculous but I didn't care.

"ThinkGeek. You can thank Alice for finding it. She came up with your nerd boy outfit."

"I love Alice," I told Bella, making her laugh. I turned her and grinned into that beautiful, smiling face. "But I love you more."

"Damn right." She kissed me and snuggled into my chest. "I love you the most."

I smirked. "Are we going to have a contest over that?"

She shook her head. "I'd say it's another tie, wouldn't you?"

Perfect. "I love tying with you."

"Me too." I knew we'd tie again, over and over. "Thanks for my A+."

She laughed. "Thank you for your A+ work. You can work on some extra credit later."

I grinned. "How do you improve upon an A+?"

Her eyes twinkled. "I guess you'll just have to wait and see." Something to look forward to for sure.

"I can't wait, baby." I couldn't wait for every single thing we had to look forward to. There was so much incredible stuff ahead of us and I was going to give Bella the world, just like she'd given me everything when she'd become my girl.


	37. Chapter 37

Bella's face had said it all this morning when I woke up. She was watching me, those beautiful brown eyes of her shining with unshed tears. I'd kissed her and we'd made desperate love, unable to get close enough. We still had a day together, but we were leaving our cabin and heading back to reality, something that didn't hold a whole lot of appeal since we'd be apart. I could face anything with her, but I hated going back to my regular life without her, especially since she was my life now. How was I supposed to work halfway across the damn world?

I had to be strong, though, for Bella. There was nothing we could do about our situation at the moment. She had to finish school, and then we'd have the summer. After that, well, we'd see. I would do anything to keep her with me, anything except to crush her hopes and dreams. She came first, always.

We packed up in virtual silence, checking and double checking each and every room since we'd done exactly what I'd vowed before we got here and christened them all. The place looked as it had when we arrived by the time we were done straightening up. God, I loved this place. I never wanted to leave. And I never wanted anybody to stay here again. It was ours.

"What are you thinking?" Bella asked, smiling slightly as she placed the last of her bags by the front door.

I pulled her into my arms and she buried her face in my chest. "I was just thinking that I don't want anybody else to use this place. It feels like ours now."

She let out a laugh that ended with a sob. Fuck. I hugged her tighter. "I know," she murmured.

I tilted her face up to mine. Her eyes were full of sadness and I hated it. "I'll buy it for us, if you want," I promised recklessly.

Bella laughed and shook her head. "I don't know that they'll sell you one cabin, Edward. And anyway, it's not the place so much, although it's great. I'll just miss being with you alone like this." The tears spilled over and I brushed them away.

"I know. I hate to go back to the real world, but it's only for a few weeks and then we'll have all summer." Sort of. At least we'd see each other daily and spend the nights in one another's arms anyway.

Bella fought to smile. "Yeah. I can't wait."

"Me either." I kissed her gently and then smiled at her. "Tell you what, even if I can't buy this place, I will get us someplace that we can go to shut the world away just like we did here. We'll go at least once a year, more when we can swing it. Okay?"

Her smile bloomed this time and it was breathtaking. "I'd love that."

"Think about where you want it to be. Mountains like here? A private beach? In the middle of the woods? Anywhere you like."

Bella laughed. "I'll take anywhere with you, even a hut in the middle of the desert."

I snickered and brushed her hair away from her face. "That might be too hot for us, baby. I'd rather generate our own heat."

"Good point." She hugged me. "Thank you."

"You don't have anything to thank me for, love. I'm being selfish, just wanting you to myself."

"That's never selfish. And I'm thanking you for all of this; for the greatest week of my life and the promise of even better things to come. I still don't know how I got so lucky."

She blew me away with her words, which wasn't unusual. The woman had a way of bringing me to my knees with just a sentence. "I'm feeling pretty lucky myself these days."

"Except at pool." She giggled when I tickled her and the sound made me smile. I wanted to leave with happy memories, not sad ones over our time together coming to a close. It was only temporary, after all.

"I don't know, I think I got pretty damn lucky at the pool table." And I would need to buy one of those for the house. Well, after Emmett moved out. I didn't trust him and Rose not to break it in before Bella and I did.

"We got pretty damn lucky everywhere in this place," she agreed. I felt a twinge again at the thought of someone else using it. I knew I needed to get over it, but I didn't want to. This was our place. A commotion outside had us breaking apart. They were here. Bella smiled sadly and opened the door as Emmett and Rose approached. It wasn't as cold out this morning, the sun was shining and it was about forty degrees. Too bad an avalanche hadn't snowed us in.

"Rosie, it's my name on the form so I have to be the one to drive it," Emmett told Rose as she pushed his arm off her shoulder.

"It's not your name. You used the name Peter Venkman," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I can drive just as well as you can." Emmett snorted and got rewarded with a hot glare. "I can. Do you doubt my skills?"

"Hell no, baby, I've experienced your skills first hand and I'm all about them." His voice was reverent.

"Good Lord," Bella muttered. That's when they noticed us.

"Hey, lovebirds! Are you ready to go?" my brother boomed. I got whacked on the shoulder in way of greeting before he scooped Bella into his arms. She hugged him back while Rose smiled at me.

"Hey. Your brother's an idiot."

"I know," I agreed as I picked up our bags, throwing Bella's duffle over my shoulder and taking as suitcase in each hand.

"You're the one in love with me, so what does that make you?" Emmett asked her, pouting.

"A masochist," she replied, taking the grocery bag of leftover food we hadn't consumed.

"Ha, I think I'm the masochist." Emmett wiggled his eyebrows at us. "My ass still hurts."

Rose's free hand smacked said ass and he jumped about a mile, bellowing. "You asked for it."

Bella and I exchanged glances. "I don't want to know," I told her, because I already knew too much.

"No, you don't," she acknowledged. I wondered if she knew. Then I wondered why I was wondering because I really didn't want to know.

Emmett just smiled brightly as he tugged a suitcase away from me. "I trust you had a good week?"

"The best," Bella replied, twining her fingers with mine. Together we took one last glance inside the cabin before stepping outside and heading to the car.

"I bet our week was better than yours," Em singsonged as he placed bags in the back of the car.

Bella and I just smiled at one another. We weren't about to debate it. We knew that it didn't get any better than the time we'd spent with one another.

"Come on, Emmett, let me drive," Rose pled. My rude brother ignored her and just got in, leaving her to get in the passenger side. I shook my head in disapproval as I held open the door for Bella. Mom would be pissed if she saw that. "Bastard," Rose told him. "Did you see your brother hold the door for Bella? Why can't you do that?"

"Because Bella wouldn't use that opportunity to get into the driver's seat like you would, baby. I know how you operate."

Rose just huffed and I had a feeling Emmett had her pegged. "Ready to go back to school?" he asked cheerfully. Both girls just grumbled and I said nothing, tightening my arm around Bella. I was going to treasure the three hour ride back to their place and every second we had together before we left tomorrow morning. Emmett put the car in gear and drove up to the lodge. "Keys?" I handed them over reluctantly and Emmett went in to check out. Rose started to go with him but as soon as he got ahead of her she ran around and got in the driver's seat. Emmett glared but continued inside to settle up our bills.

"Why do you care who drives?" Bella asked Rose.

"He thinks he's better at it than I am," she told us haughtily.

"But he's a stunt driver. He is better," Bella responded.

"So? I could be a stunt driver if I wanted."

Bella groaned. "Please do not haul ass home to prove yourself."

Hell no. "Yeah. We're in no hurry to get back." Bella squeezed my knee in understanding and Rose looked less excited.

"I know. Fucking school. I wish we could just head to Europe with you now." Rose frowned but then smiled suddenly. "How pissed would my parents be if I dropped out with five weeks left?"

"No, Rose." Bella's voice was pure steel.

"I know, I know, but it's a fun thought."

"Well, can it because my dad would hunt us both down if we did something like that. Five weeks isn't that long." Bella's voice trembled a little and I kissed the top of her head.

"I know. I don't even know why I'll miss the big lug so damn much anyway. He drives me crazy, but in the best way," Rose sighed. She smiled as Emmett emerged from the building. "Don't tell him I said that." Her eyes met mine in the mirror and I nodded.

Emmett came around to the passenger side, scowling as he slid in. "Fine, Rosie, you can drive."

"I don't believe I asked this time," she informed him, pulling out and heading down the mountain.

"I'm just letting you be in charge."

Rose laughed. "In case you hadn't noticed, I've been in charge all week." Nope, I didn't want to know. Emmett's smile said plenty.

"That's because they were your handcuffs. When we use mine…" I smacked him as Rose and Bella laughed.

"What?" Emmett demanded, glaring at me.

"There are some things we don't need to know."

"Please, like these two aren't going to talk?" He gestured between our girls who were both grinning. "By the way, Bella, thank you for letting Rose use your Halloween costume. It was much appreciated."

Bella giggled. "You're welcome and she can keep it. I doubt I'd want it back now." I shot her a look and she just shrugged. "They forced me to wear it a couple of years ago."

"And you won sexiest costume," Rose interjected, sounding proud.

Fuck, I had to know. "What was it?"

Bella giggled. "It was a sexy cop uniform. Let's just say my father would have had a conniption and had me arrested for real if he'd ever seen it."

"She put my sexy Indian girl to shame, even though I was wearing fewer clothes," Rose recalled. "I think it had to do with the handcuffs and the baton and those fishnets." And I was fucking hard. And very sorry that Bella had given the costume away. I made a noise and Bella giggled.

"I can always get another one," she suggested.

"Yes, please." But only wear it for me.

"I didn't know you had a thing for handcuffs, Edward." Her voice was all breathy and sexy again. Damn this three hour ride that I'd previously wanted to go slowly.

I hadn't really been into bondage of any sort before, but everything was different with Bella. "I have a thing for you, Bella, in any and all forms." That earned me a kiss while Emmett and Rose laughed up front.

"See, I told you they'd still have that sexual buzz about them," Rose said, laughing. "You owe me fifty bucks."

"I thought they'd chill out after nine straight days of screwing," Emmett grumbled, but he reached into his wallet and slapped the money in her hand.

"Whatever, you'd be naked in ten seconds if I told you I wanted you right now," Rose pointed out.

"True. Pull over," he suggested.

"Hell no!" Bella and I shouted together.

"Damn it," he grumbled. Rose just chuckled as she continued driving. We went over some bumpy terrain and Emmett hissed. "That hurts, Rosie."

"It's your own fault. You should have known better than to discuss another woman when you were at my mercy," she told him icily.

"I didn't think it'd turn you into Mommy Dearest," he huffed.

"I didn't use a coat hanger," was her reply. What the fuck had they been doing? No, I really didn't want to know.

Bella muttered something that sounded like, "she really is a dominatrix." No. That was just wrong. I got a quick mental picture that included a whole lot of leather and I quickly shook my head, trying to get rid of that image.

"No, but you did…"

I cut him off. "No, no, no. I don't want to know and I swear to God if you finish that sentence I'm going to tell Mom you're some kind of sex freak."

Emmett glared at me but at least that shut him up. "Hey, you never know what might be going on behind closed doors with Mom and Dad. We already know she sexts him." He laughed at the expression on my face. "I'm just saying, Mom and Rosie are cut from the same cloth."

Gross. So wrong. "That is your mother you're talking about," I informed him.

Emmett's face screwed up in disgust. "True. Forget I said that." Like I could? So fucking wrong.

"Hey, parents like to screw, too. Well, except for mine. There's no way that my frigid mother rocks my father's world. That's what mistresses are for." And just like that, thoughts of my parent's sex life were gone. I didn't know whether to feel bad for Rose or be grateful to her.

"Rosie." Emmett reached over and rubbed the back of her neck.

She sighed. "I'm fine, Emmett. You two are very lucky you have parents that love each other like that and I guess I just had a moment. I'm good." His eyes met mine, begging me to do something.

Fuck it. "I'm told that I have you to thank for Bella's shopping spree before the trip. I could not be more grateful. Name it and it's yours."

Rose laughed, her good humor restored. "So many things. A Bugatti so I can blow your brother's Venom out of the water? A tasteful diamond necklace? A walk on in your next film?" She waved a hand. "You're taking me to Europe this summer, so consider us even."

Bella smiled at just the mention of the summer which pleased me. "That is for purely selfish reasons, I can assure you. I want Bella to have a good time when I'm working and I know you and Alice can keep her company."

"We're going to bring The Continent to its knees!" There wasn't a trace of pain in Rose's tone anymore. "Bella, we have to help Alice find a man this summer."

My girl shook her head. "I think she's already found the one she wants."

Rose snorted. "So? She can have a little fun while Jasper ages like a fine wine."

Emmett snickered. "She really likes that guy, doesn't she?"

"Yes. And don't you make fun of her for it," Bella lectured, going so far as to point a finger at my brother. It was really kind of hot and made me think of her school teacher wear. "She was dating a giant douche until he came along."

"Dating wasn't even the word for it. She was fucking him but not getting anything else but a few orgasms out of the deal." Rose paused for a minute. "Not that orgasms are a bad thing."

"I'll say!" Bella said with a giggle. I kissed the side of her head. She was too cute. I was glad she was smiling and laughing again. Trust Rose and Emmett to bring us out of the funk we'd slipped into back at the cabin.

"Well, unlike us, Alice isn't having any these days. She's allowed a little fun before Junior comes and sweeps her off her feet. And one of us needs to hook with a hot European." Rose shot Emmett a grin. "If Alice won't do it, I'll have to take one for the team."

"Not even funny, Rosie. Just remember I won't be as busy as Mr. Movie Star back there so I just might turn up wherever you are."

"I already hooked up with an Englishman," Bella murmured.

I laughed and gave her a smacking kiss. "I can insure that you land every nationality in Europe and beyond baby. Just name it."

Bella bit her lip. "So many possibilities."

"Damn it, Emmett, why didn't you get any of your brothers' acting skills?" Rose complained.

"Because I got the looks, the smarts, and the hot body. I had to leave something for him," was Emmett's quick reply.

Rose snorted. "You keep on telling yourself that."

"I didn't hear any complaints," he pointed out with a wolfish grin.

"You confused me with all your love talk. I was in a sex haze. It's clearing up now."

"Never, baby." Emmett smirked at her. "You're stuck with me."

"So it seems." Rose's words were resigned but her voice was happy.

Bella smiled as she rested her head on my shoulder. "Is it always going to be like this?" she wondered.

I brushed my thumb over her cheek. "I think it will."

"Good. Life's going to be lots of fun."

I couldn't agree more. "Yes, it is."

Xoxoxoxox

"Hi, honey, we're home!" Rose shouted as we piled in the front door. I was loaded down with bags, having to bring mine up since we were staying the night.

A screech came from the bedroom and Alice flew out, running right into the waiting arms of Bella and Rose. I exchanged looks with Emmett who shrugged. "I think they missed each other."

Clearly. I got why Alice hadn't come with us but hopefully she would come over for the summer. We'd do our best to make sure she didn't feel left out. Hell, if anything I'd be the one left out; my hours were less than stellar during a movie shoot.

"Oh my God, I missed you so much! Bella, you were utter fail. Did you play _Words_ once while you were gone?"

My girl shook her head. "I'm sorry! I didn't even think about it."

Alice giggled and released the girls. "I know, you had better things to do. Or a better person." Next thing I knew, I was being hugged. For a tiny thing, she sure packed a punch. "I can see you took good care of her while she was gone. Way to go," she told me softly. She let me go and turned to Emmett. "You don't get a hug."

He grinned. "I know. I'm too much man for you. You like 'em smaller." His blue eyes twinkled with mirth. "And younger."

"Fuck off," Alice told him, but she barely got the words out before Emmett scooped her up and carried her into the living room.

"You know you missed me. Admit it."

"No!" she yelled, shrieking as he dangled her upside down over the couch. He held her with one hand and tickled her with the other. "Stop! Please! Too ticklish! I'll pee!" she warned.

"What do I care? It's your couch. Admit it and I'll let you go." Em was having a good time, grinning madly.

"Fine! I missed you too!" Emmett flipped her over his arm and dropped her face down the couch. She glared up at him, red faced and mussed. "I only missed kicking your ass verbally."

"I'll take it, Demi." Emmett just laughed when she punched him the stomach. "Such violent girls. How'd you get the tame one?" he asked me.

I snickered as I scooped up the bags and carried them to Bella's room. "Pure luck." I set them down and went back into the living room. Bella stood next to the armchair and I sat down in it and grinned at her. She immediately curled up in my lap and I buried my nose in her hair. So good.

"You two sicken me," Alice told us cheerfully. "I should send a picture of this to Charlie."

Bella sat up a little. "Dad? You talked to him?"

Alice laughed. "Talked to him? I got invited to dinner with him and Sue. They're super cute together, Bella." She was gesturing wildly with her hands. "Your dad honest to God blushes! Who knew?"

"I did!" Rose said with a laugh. "There was this one time that I swear he was checking out my chest and…" she broke off when Bella hurled a throw pillow at her. "You're just upset that I won't be your stepmother now."

"Bad enough that you'll be my sister-in-law!" Bella told her, crossing her arms over her chest. I just laughed while Emmett grinned brightly and Alice gaped at all of us.

"Um, what did you say? You're getting married? Like all of you? What in the hell happened at those cabins?" Her gray eyes were wide and stunned. "Where are the rings?" she demanded.

Bella held up a hand. "We're not engaged or anything, it's just…"

"These two yahoos come from a long line of people who fall in love at first sight or some craziness," Rose supplied. "And it seems that Bella and I are the chosen ones. Of course, Emmett informs me of this during a drunken game of _I've Never_ , just announcing to all of us that he was going to marry me." She scowled at Emmett who draped an arm around her.

"It's just _the one,_ Rosie," Emmett corrected, playing with her hair. He turned to Alice. "We just know when we've found the right person. Time doesn't factor into it. I knew Bella was Edward's _one_ before they even met and then when Rosie walked into this very room, I was gone."

Alice just shook her head. "And you told her this while you were drunk? Way classy." She ignored Emmett's protests and turned to me. "How did you tell Bella?"

The memory made me grin. "In front of the fire after a fancy dinner."

Alice grinned approvingly. "Much better. How are you two even related?"

"Hey!" Emmett grumbled. "It's not my fault the prickly one forced it out of me that way. And I did make up for it the next night."

Rose laughed. "Yes, he did. Multiple times." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively while Alice and Bella giggled. "We'll tell you all about it, later. Back to HC DILF." She was met with four confused gazes at that one, because none of us knew what she was talking about, other than the DILF part. "Hot cop, obviously."

"Ugh," Bella groaned. "Seriously, how was my dad?"

Alice smiled. "He's really good, Bella. Very happy. Of course he was a bit worried about his daughter being ravished in some remote cabin for days on end, but other than that…" she broke off, giggling at the expression on my face. I felt flushed. Bella's dad carried a gun for a living and he knew I was having sex with his daughter. Well, some things were worth dying for I supposed.

"Did you know that he's scouring tabloids looking for evidence that Edward is some kind of Hollywood bad boy? I assured him that wasn't the case but he didn't seem willing to give it up." She laughed hard. "He asked me about TMZ and Perez Hilton!"

Fuck me. That was so not cool. "What?" Bella asked, disbelief evident. "He's going on the web now, too?"

"Oh yeah, Charlie's totally high tech."

Bella shook her head. "He bitched and moaned when they switched over to computers instead of typewriters." I shot her a look and she laughed. "Charlie's kind of old school. He'd rather do everything with pens and paper than keyboards and computer monitors."

"Well, he's turning into a pro on the internet, let me tell you." She grinned over at Emmett. "And don't think for a minute that he hasn't looked you up either. He asked just how much time Edward spent with his reprobate brother." Oh, shit.

"I am not a reprobate!" Emmett protested.

"You're moving out," I informed him. Like I didn't have enough going against me in Bella's father's eyes without having my jailbird brother bringing me down.

"I am not!" My brother glared at me while the girls laughed. "Don't forget that the only reason you're defiling the police chief's daughter is because I pulled your head out of your ass and brought you up here."

Damn it. He'd always have that over me. "But if that hadn't happened, then you wouldn't have met Rose."

"Yes, he would have," Rose supplied. "I'd have come down your way and nailed his ass eventually." Her voice was pure confidence. Somehow I didn't doubt her.

"Alright, you can stay. But if you get arrested again, you're out," I grumbled. Bella kissed my jaw.

"Like you scare me." Emmett laughed.

"I may not but Mom does and I'll tell her about the times that she doesn't know about." I'd bailed Emmett out a couple of times, getting the cops not to charge him by using my celebrity and throwing around premiere tickets and other crap.

Emmett paled. "You wouldn't." I just smiled knowingly.

"Emmett's days of appearing on TMZ are over," Rose interjected. "Unless he appears on there with me."

His grin could not have gotten wider. "Count on it, baby!" Oh Lord. Well, that was their problem.

"You're all crazy," Alice observed, smiling. "Anyway, I told your dad that Edward is really a good guy and that I had no doubt that he'd treat you well. That seemed to appease him," she told Bella. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I adore you," I told her.

Alice laughed. "You better."

"I do. And I love my shirt, by the way." That set all three girls giggling again while my brother looked baffled.

"I thought you might. It's pretty cool. I might even get one."

"I'll get you one," I promised her.

"What shirt?" Emmett asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Never mind." He wouldn't appreciate the awesomeness that was my Death Star shirt.

"Fine," he muttered, looking put out.

"So, back to you." Bella turned to Alice. "Did you talk to Jasper at all over break?"

She colored slightly. "Yeah, a little. His spring break isn't for a couple more weeks, so he was in classes and stuff." Emmett guffawed and she glared at him. "We're just talking."

"Well, I'm glad you did." Bella smiled softly. "Have you thought about this summer yet?"

Alice lit right up. "Well, that's one of the things that has me so excited!" She took a deep breath and I had to smile at her flare for dramatics. Bella had told me Alice did some acting when they were kids and I could see that in her now. "I have an interview this week for a job at Seattle General!" Shrieks sounded all around and Bella was off my lap and hugging Alice seconds later.

"That's so great! I'm so excited for you!"

Alice bounced a little as Bella released her. "Me too! I've been on cloud nine all week. Of course, it's just an interview but you never know."

"I guess that means Europe's out," Rose said, giving her a hug. "I'm thrilled for you but bummed for us."

"Don't be!" Alice told her. "The job wouldn't start until August. They're just making the push to start the hiring process now before a bunch of us graduate and scatter, I guess. They're working in conjunction with the university so I have as good a shot as anybody."

"So, you're coming with us?" Bella asked, her eyes shining.

"Hell yes! Look out Germany!" All three girls were now dancing around the living room. My brother and I just watched them with indulgent smiles. I was glad Alice was coming. I knew Bella felt bad for her situation with that Jasper guy but hopefully this would help.

"That's so great! And you might have a real job when we come back!" My smile faded at the mention of coming back and I noticed my brother's did too. Well, we had time before we figured all that out. The girls were off and talking about what they'd see and do and plotting trips to various countries. Bella smiled at me hesitantly and I held out a hand to her which she took. I wasn't going to attempt to limit what they did on their vacation.

"Is it okay if we go to Paris for a few days?" she asked softly when she snuggled back into my lap. Alice and Rose were making lists of stuff they needed, which I thought was a bit premature but they were excited so who was I to judge?

I turned her so that she sat sideways, so I could see that beautiful face of hers. "Baby, I want you to go and see whatever you want. It's your vacation. I'll be working."

She smiled sadly. "I know, but I won't see you every night if we make little side trips."

Yes, that was true but I was never, ever going to limit her; that was a promise I'd made to myself back at the cabin. "Bella, have you ever been to Europe?" I already knew the answer to that but she shook her head. "Well, I want you to experience it. See everything you want to see. I wish I could show you myself, but I can't, so I'm glad you have Rose and Alice to see it with. I know you've yet to experience what it's like when I'm filming, but it's very long days. I'm usually up and out by five and not back until ten on a good night, later than that on a bad one."

Bella's beautiful eyes widened at that news. "Really? That doesn't sound fun."

I snickered. "No, it's pretty grueling but I love it anyway." Well I might love it less when she was waiting for me in my hotel room and I was ready to collapse at the end of the day. "I can and will have some days off and we'll work with those, but I don't want you to worry about waiting around for me, okay?"

"Okay." She rested her head on my shoulder and I held her close while the girls chattered for a bit.

They finally wound down over pizza and beer and then it was time for bed. Bella and I walked hand in hand into her bedroom and we took our time undressing one another. I felt like I was memorizing every inch of her, every look, every touch and every sound she made. When I slipped inside her, our hands were joined and our eyes held as I told her that I loved her. Her eyes welled and she returned my vow. We made slow, unhurried love. I wanted to savor each touch, to burn it into memory to hold on to when I was away. We came together and I thought she'd sleep but she didn't, choosing instead to hold on to me and talk, sharing inconsequential, wonderful things about herself. I did the same. It felt like every day I got to know her better and love her more. We made love one more time before we drifted off, exhaustion finally getting the better of us despite our need to spend every waking moment we could together.

The alarm that woke us in the morning was not nearly as welcomed as those that had sounded the rest of the week for sure. Bella shut it off and her eyes met mine as we lay together for a few more minutes. Not a word was spoken; I just touched her cheek, kissed her forehead and held on to her. She ran her fingers down my bare back. "We need to get up," she reminded me.

I knew we did. I just didn't want to let her go. But I had no choice. I got out of bed and into the shower. I was in there for about two minutes when the curtain parted and in she came. I could see instantly it wasn't a sexual thing, she wrapped her arms around me and buried her head against my chest. I held her to me and we stood under the water together for several minutes before she started to clean me, her soft hands moving over my body. Normally that would be cause for lift off but not this time. I just enjoyed the feeling of her taking care of me before returning the favor, washing her hair and her beautiful body. A tear or two slipped down her cheek and nearly brought me to my knees but she shook her head and gave me one of her beautiful smiles. "It'll be over before you know it." And I knew she wasn't talking about the shower.

We stepped out and dried one another off. She put on jeans and a sweatshirt and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She looked like the quintessential college student. She was so pretty. I got dressed and packed my bag. I could hear my brother and Rose moving about in the living room and knew I didn't have long before we had to go. I sat back on the bed and Bella came into my arms, holding on to me tightly.

"This sucks," I told her, making her laugh quietly. I literally felt like I was going to lose my shit if I walked away from her.

"I know. But you'll be so busy that you'll hardly have time to miss me."

That just wasn't true. I pulled away to look at her so she'd see just how untrue that was. "I'll miss you every minute of the day." She smiled shakily at my words, her eyes shining with tears. "I'm going to inundate you with calls, texts and emails, just so you know."

Bella laughed. "I'm ready to be inundated." She cupped my face in her hands. "Just so you know, I'm going to miss you, too, but I promise I'll be okay. Don't you worry about me." Like that was possible. I made a face at that and she giggled, delighting me. "I'm going to kick academic ass while I wait for you to come back to me."

She made me smile. "I have no doubt you will, baby. Just be sure to have a little fun, too. But not too much."

She shook her head. "I'm saving all the fun until graduation. We'll have a lot of fun then."

Yes, we would. And I needed to get her a great present to celebrate. I'd have to think about that for a bit. "We will, baby."

"Edward!" my brother bellowed from the living room. Fuck. It was time. I stood and pulled Bella to her feet, kissing her. Her lips were hard and hungry on mine and suddenly the desperation was on us again. I pushed her back against her door and ground my hips into her as I devoured her. It wasn't enough. It never would be.

"Damn it," I muttered when we broke apart.

Bella laughed softly. "I know. Five weeks."

"I love you," I told her fervently. I watched the smile light up her face. That look, right there, that was the one that I was going to hold onto until I saw her again.

"I love you, too."

"This isn't goodbye. I'm never going to say goodbye to you," I vowed.

Bella kissed me again, softly, this one full of promise. "It's see you soon."

"See you soon." I hugged her tightly as a knock sounded on the door. "Not soon enough."

She smiled up at me. "It never will be soon enough. Call me when you get home?"

Home. Like it was a home without her. But I nodded. "I will." We opened the door and my brother and Rose looked as tired and unhappy as I figured we did. Emmett hugged Bella, taking her away from me which made me frown and Rose smirk. The two of them talked to one another quietly and Rose turned to me.

"Keep him in line, will you?" she asked.

"I'll do my best. Take care of her for me?"

"I always do." I kissed her on the cheek, because I knew she was in good hands with Rose and Alice.

"Thank you." Bella was back then and I took her in my arms again. Rose and Emmett ducked outside to say goodbye privately and give us a moment.

"Do you have everything?" she asked quietly.

"Everything but what I want the most." It was the truth, after all.

A sob caught in her throat. "Don't make me cry, damn it. I swore I wasn't going to."

"Sorry, baby."

"And you do have me, even when I'm not with you," she reassured me. That was true and I knew it. It just sucked to leave her behind.

"And you have me." I held her tight, wishing I could just absorb her into me and take her everywhere. It was ridiculous, I knew, but it was so hard to leave her after having all that time with her.

"I love you so much," she murmured, rising on her tiptoes to kiss me again.

"I love you forever," was my response when we came up for air.

Rose came in and gestured silently to the door, letting me know that Emmett was ready. "See you soon," I told Bella, kissing her one last time.

"See you soon," she echoed quietly. I touched her cheek before shouldering my bag and heading toward the door. I smiled at her over my shoulder and she smiled back and told me she loved me again.

"Forever," I reminded her. And I walked out the door, leaving behind the one person I never wanted to do without. Five weeks couldn't pass soon enough.


	38. Chapter 38

Home didn't feel like home anymore. I'd loved my place from the first moment I'd stepped foot inside it but it felt empty without Bella even though she'd never been here before. Something I'd need to rectify, although when was a question. Maybe I could get her to come down for part of Christmas. It felt like way too far away, though. It wasn't like I was going to be here until then. Stupid move shooting movies back to back the way I was but I knew it made sense for my career. Strike while the iron is hot and all that stuff.

I put my bags in my room. I'd do laundry in the next day or two but there was no point in putting the bags away. I'd be heading out by this weekend likely, or early next week. I'd have to call Garrett and Kate to make sure my schedule had stayed the same. I'd asked for radio silence on my vacation and I'd been granted it, with the exception of a few emails to Marcus and Kate.

A glance at my clock told me Bella was still in class. I'd called her as soon as we'd gotten out of the airport, needing to hear her voice even if it was only a recorded message. Yes, I was a bit ridiculous but I couldn't help missing her already. So, I took out my phone and sent her a text as well.

**Home isn't home without you here. I can't wait for the day that I come home to you, wherever that may be. I love you.**

I set my phone aside just as music started to blast from Emmett's room. He'd been pretty quiet since we'd left the girls, which had been welcome since I'd feared a recap of his sexcapades with Rose. I closed my door and tried to focus on the shit I needed to do before we left. _Rolling Stone_ tomorrow, a few sessions with Alec to make up for the time off I'd taken, though I thought I was looking pretty good. I'd exercised in my own way all week with Bella after all. The best way. The Sex Workout…I wonder if I could market that. I had costume fittings and some head shots on Thursday. If that all went well we could probably leave on Saturday.

Shit, time to face reality. I picked up my phone and dialed the number.

"Well, well, the prodigal son returns!"

I snickered. "You've never thought of me as a son, Kate."

"And thank God for that! We'd have a _Flowers in the Attic_ situation up in here!"

She killed me. "I think that was brother and sister incest."

"Well, I'm certainly not old enough to be your mother. Give me a little credit," she sniffed.

"Oh yes, you're much too young for such things. How goes it, Katie?"

"Please, like I have anything of interest going on? You're the one who was off with the girl of his dreams all week. How was it?"

I smiled at just the thought of my week with Bella. "Beyond words."

"Oh, Lord, the boy's well and truly in love, Garrett." I faintly heard cheering in the background. "You should hear him, Gar, he sounds like a girl."

"Hey!" I protested but I knew she was probably right.

"I can't help it, you're cute. I love that you're finally happy. When can I meet her?" she demanded.

That was the million dollar question. When, when, when? I wanted the answer to all those when's to be right now but that wasn't doable. "Well, if you two haul your deadbeat asses to Berlin you can meet her this summer. Otherwise it's going to be awhile."

There was silence on the other end of the line. "Hello?" I asked, wondering if my phone had dropped the call.

"I'm sorry; did you just say she was coming to Berlin with you?" Uh oh, the friendly tone was gone and the business tone was in its place.

"Um, yes?" I hurried on before she could yell at me. "I was going to tell you! I mean, I just did. I'm flying back for her graduation in five weeks and then she's coming to stay with me over the summer."

Silence again. This was not good. I had to fill it. "You said you wanted to meet her, so then would be optimal."

She let out a loud sigh. "And just what am I supposed to tell the press about you going to some random graduation out in bumfuck Washington?"

"Seattle is hardly bumfuck and maybe you won't have to tell them a thing. It's not like UW isn't a huge university. A ton of people are graduating. I doubt they'll notice me."

"Doubt they'll notice you? College kids? Female college kids? Are you serious?" she demanded. Well, when she put it like that… "You better think twice about going, Edward. That or you better be prepared to name this girl and talk about your relationship."

Not going wasn't an option. I'd promised Bella. She was my family now and family went to important things like graduations. "I'm going. If I get seen, we'll deal with it then. And I'm going to talk about my relationship tomorrow with whomever I'm meeting from _Rolling Stone_."

"Her name's Bree Tanner."

Her? Great. Seven times out of ten, female reporters blatantly hit on me or at the very least flirted and tried to get me to hit on them. "Kate…"

"She's a lesbian, so don't sweat it."

I laughed because Kate knew me so well. "That works."

"I thought it might. So what are you planning on telling her?"

Like I knew? I didn't have a damn script, if I tried to write one I'd end up sounding rehearsed and _Rolling Stone_ was the kind of magazine that would call me out on it. "We both know the relationship question will come up sooner rather than later. I plan on playing it by ear, but I don't intend on giving her Bella's name."

"You're going to have a hard time keeping her name out of the press if you're going to graduations and strolling around Europe together," Kate reminded me.

I rolled my eyes. "She and her friends will be strolling around Europe. I'll be working. She'll have her own room, which conveniently will connect with mine." That wasn't even an issue. We always took extra rooms on the floor that I was on to keep traffic away from me. I'd just make sure one of those empty rooms was right next door and that was that. I may not get to spend my days with Bella but I'd damn sure spend my nights with her.

"Do you remember what it was like when you dated Irina?"

What was I, stupid? "Of course I do. But if you recall, Irina courted the press. Bella most certainly won't be. We'll release her name when and if it feels right to us. If someone recognizes me in Seattle, then we'll deal with the fallout. I'd like to enjoy my relationship for awhile before it becomes fodder for tabloids and internet gossip." I was getting annoyed just thinking about it.

"Alright, Edward. You know it's my job to be prepared. I'm just trying to do that," she soothed.

I knew that. It didn't make it any less irritating though. "I promise you that the instant we're seen together and I suspect we're outed, I'll call you and we'll get something out to the press right after."

"And if they catch you and you don't know it?"

"Well, it's not like I'm hiding her from you. You know who she is."

"Yes, but I don't know how I'm supposed to say you met. Do you want me to tell them the truth?"

Hell no. Then I'd have tons of fangirls trying to hunt me down electronically. Maybe there were some just as crafty as Bella was. "We can just say that we met through acquaintances. It's actually not far from the truth because Emmett's dating one of her best friends."

"What?" I had to hold the phone away from my ear at Kate's shout. "Surely I misheard you. Did you say that Emmett was dating someone? As in dating dating? Not just screwing and forgetting?"

I laughed at Kate's disbelief. I couldn't blame her one bit. "More than dating, if it comes down to it. Rose is his _one_ just like Bella is mine."

"Well, I'll be damned. I have got to meet this girl, too. The girl that could make Emmett Cullen commit? She has to be amazing."

She sounded shell-shocked. "She is. She's a big part of the reason that Bella and I are together now. Emmett's in love."

"Garrett! We're going to Berlin this summer! Clear some time in June or July!" she shouted.

"Must you yell? Isn't he right there?"

She sniffed. "I'll have you know that he's in his office discussing a deal for something or other."

"Then why are you yelling at him?" I asked, grinning. I loved how they were together. Someday Bella and I would be just like them, minus the yelling part.

"Because Emmett Cullen has a girlfriend and is in love! We never thought we'd see the day."

"What about me? I'm in love, too."

She laughed. "You, Edward, have always been the settling type. I'm just glad you didn't settle with someone like Irina. I was going to have to feed some lies to the tabs if you stayed with her much longer."

I shook my head. "I'd have had to fire you and then where would be?"

"I already told you, Garrett would be hooking on Hollywood Boulevard. Really, what kind of life is that to wish on him? It would have been in your best interest. Besides, you'd have had a hard time convincing Bella she was your _one_ if you were married to that slutty leech."

That was true. "I never thought about marrying her." There was only one girl I'd ever wanted to marry and I would one day.

"Fortunately! I'll take the credit for that."

I laughed. "Of course you will. You know, I did actually call to see if there was anything added to my plate this week."

"Print interview with the _Times_ on Friday afternoon. Seacrest wants you to call in to his radio show sometime this week, totally up to you when and if you want to do it."

Ugh. "I can do it Thursday between fittings."

"Excellent. I'll set it up. And Marcus needs you to come in and sign your contract at some point. That's not from me; by the way, that's from Garrett who's waving notes under my nose."

I laughed. "Tell him hi. I'll go see Marcus after the interview tomorrow unless it runs late; otherwise I'll hit him Wednesday." My days were rapidly filling up. "Guess I'll be leaving Saturday?"

"That's the plan, or so Garrett says."

The lovely thing about them being married is that I could call one and get all my information at the same time. "Does he have anything else for me?"

"Do you have anything else for him? You can use my phone if you want. Stop with the notes, I'm not your secretary." I snickered as they argued. "You need to do those Mercedes voiceovers before you leave."

Of course I did. "Wednesday afternoon?"

Kate hummed as her keyboard clacked. "That'll work. I told you that you'd be a busy boy when you got back. No bitching."

I scowled. "I wasn't bitching."

"Your tone was bitching. You don't think I know your bitchy tone by now? Please."

She knew me well. "Alright, I'm pretty sure you have me booked solid now."

"Not yet but we will!"

She didn't have to sound so damn cheerful about it. "I don't like you."

Her delighted laugh filled the line. "But you do love me and you can't live without me. Shut up, Garrett, he loves me more than he loves you."

The woman had a point. "Doesn't mean I have to like it, but yes, I do love you both."

"But you love me more, right? He's much more easily replaced."

I heard Garrett protesting. "He only loves you more because you're scarier than I am!"

They killed me. "He's right. It's your power over me that gives you the edge."

"Don't forget it!" she sang. "Do you want me there tomorrow?"

I thought about it. Kate sometimes came to make sure I didn't get misrepresented by the press. I was generally on board with it, but _Rolling Stone_ was just a different sort of animal. "What do you think? Would I look like a pansy if you were there?"

"Honestly, yes. They don't dare order me not to be there, but they don't like a publicist reining you in when you're supposed to be real. It's up to you. I can clear my schedule if you need me. If not, record it so that if they misrepresent you I can come down on them like the wrath of God."

And she would, too. "I'll record it. I think it's the best bet."

"Me too. Call me right after or call me during if she steps out of line in any way and I'll end it."

I smiled as I imagined Kate ending my interview. She'd scare the life out of the reporter if she wanted to. "Will do. Thanks, Katie."

"Anytime. And Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"I really am thrilled that you've found Bella. It may not make my job the easiest at the moment, but I want you to be happy."

I had to smile at that, because I knew it was true. "I know, Katie. And I really, really am. In another world, I'd shout my relationship with Bella from the rooftops."

"I know you would. And I can't wait to meet her." Her voice was filled with warmth.

"You'll love her."

"No doubt. And your brother's girl will be with her?"

I laughed. She was dying over Emmett's having a girlfriend. "Yes."

"Hot damn! I'm booking our tickets tonight!"

"You do that. Bye, Kate. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye, Edward. Don't forget to call me."

"Will do." I hung up and grinned. She was a handful but I was damn glad she was mine.

Emmett's music shut off and a knock sounded on my door. "Since when do you knock? I'm not jerking off or anything, asshole. It's only been a few hours!"

"Well, I'm glad to hear that but I really hope you don't call me an asshole on a regular basis."

Holy shit. Mom. My heart dropped and I sat up and started stammering. "I wasn't, I mean, I thought you were…what are you doing?"

"Apparently I'm not interrupting you masturbating, a fact for which I'm eminently grateful," she replied, her green eyes twinkling as she grinned at me from my doorway. Her gaze fell on my nightstand and she laughed lightly. "I'm glad to see you moisturize properly, however."

Oh, God, kill me now. "I thought you were Emmett."

"I should hope so. He's far more of an asshole than I am."

"Hey!" my brother shouted from behind her.

Christ. I got off the bed and ran my hand through my hair. "What brings you here?"

Mom rolled her eyes. "My boys come back from a vacation with the loves of their lives and I'm supposed to wait for you to call me? I did knock but nobody could hear me with that noise your brother was blaring in his room, so I let myself in."

Of course she did. "We called. You were in a meeting."

"And now I'm out of a meeting and visiting my sons." She smiled pleasantly, in contrast to the gray pin-striped power suit she was rocking. She looked like she could cut someone to the bone with one word. "Shall we?" She gestured down the hall and Emmett and I exchanged glances as we followed her. It was going to happen sooner or later, may as well be sooner.

Mom took a seat on the recliner so Emmett and I sat on the couch. She beamed at us. "So, how was your vacation?"

"Great," I replied at the same time that Emmett said "Perfect."

Mom's smile got even brighter. "So it went well then, when you told them about _the one?"_

Emmett mumbled something and stared at his hands, avoiding Mom's sharp gaze. I wasn't sure if I should go first to rescue him or if I should throw him to the wolves and make things better with my explanation. But he just sat there so I figured I'd better get to it. "It went great with Bella. She couldn't really wrap her head around the fact that I plan on marrying her and loving her forever, but she believed in it and me."

Mom's eyes teared up and she stood and bent to give me a big hug. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling that I always got when Mom held me. To say I had a new appreciation for her after hearing more about Bella's mother and Rose's parents was an understatement. "I'm so glad to hear that, sweetie." She ruffled my hair and then turned to Emmett, who was still avoiding her eyes and looking like he'd like to sink into the chair. "Emmett Matthew, is there a reason that you're staring a hole through the leather? What did you do?" she demanded, her voice a sharp contrast to how it had just been in reaction to my news.

"I didn't do anything," he muttered, still refusing to look at her. Wrong move. She sat on the coffee table right in front of him and took his face in her hands, raising an eyebrow and not saying a word. Emmett gulped. "It wasn't my fault!" he yelled, throwing up his hands.

"What wasn't your fault?" she asked, her lips twitching. Mom was amused but Emmett couldn't see that.

"Rosie taunted me, Mom! She wore all these sexy outfits and then I took Eddie's advice and shut her out…" I got a glare from her for that one and I shrank back. Damn him for twisting things around.

"I just told him that she wrongly thought he just wanted sex from her and he should show her that he cared for her, not to drive her insane!" I protested.

Mom laughed. "Boys." She turned back to Emmett. "So you pissed her off well and good and then?"

"And then I might have gotten drunk and told her during a game," he muttered.

"What?" Mom yelled.

"I didn't mean to! She was ignoring me and being all pissed off and she suggested the game, I didn't! The more I drank, the more I wanted to fix things so I just told her I was going to marry her." His shoulders hunched like he was bracing for a blow.

Mom closed her eyes and shook her head. "What am I going to do with you boys? How'd that go over?"

"Uh, not so well at first but Bella made Rose admit that she loved me too and it was all good! I made up for it the next night, Mama, I swear! Dinner, candlelight, the whole Edward thing!"

Mom laughed and opened her arms. Emmett immediately filled them. "Well, I can't say your father did much better at first either. I'm glad at least one of you got it right."

Em grinned brightly as he released her. "Hey, he told Bella he loved her on accident post…" Emmett broke off and shrugged. "You know." Bastard.

Mom rolled her eyes. "I believe that I do know, yes. I'm just glad you boys are happy. And I can't wait to meet the girls. We are on for graduation, right?"

"Yes, Rosie's got tickets for us since nobody in her family is coming."

Mom's mouth formed into a hard line. "I cannot believe that any parent would skip their child's graduation day to go on a cruise." She shook her head vehemently. "Well, their loss is our gain. She's going into medicine?" she asked. Emmett nodded. "Alright, I know just what I'll get her." That was Mom, ready with the perfect gift. "Bella's going to be a teacher?"

"Yeah." I couldn't keep the smile off my face if I tried. Images of Bella in her sexy glasses and the white blouse and tight skirt and heels filled my mind.

"I can work with that! And we're going to meet her parents, right?"

That wiped the smile way. "Her dad and his girlfriend are coming, I believe. She's not too sure about her mother."

Mom's glare was back. "Why not?"

"Her mom's kind of out for number one from what Bella says. She's barely seen her since she left when Bella was just three."

Mom hissed at that. "What kind of useless mothers do these two have? It's a damn good thing they have me now. I'll show them just how a mother should be."

Emmett and I both smiled at one another and then at her. "That's what we told them," Emmett informed Mom proudly. "I told Rosie that she has a real family now and she was, well, you don't know Rosie yet but I can tell you that she was very girly about it and she almost cried."

"Bella, too, Mom. I promised her that you'd be there in a way that her mother wouldn't."

Mom's eyes started to mist. "Of course I will! You have to give me their address! I'm not waiting until graduation; I'm going to send those two a care package. They're nearly done with school and they probably need something to boost them through those final weeks. I remember how burned out I was at the end."

I smiled. My mom was the best mom in the world and I'd throw down with anybody who said any different. "I'm sure they'd love that." A thought occurred to me. "They live with another girl, Alice, and I know they're worried about her being left out…"

Mom waved an impatient hand to stop me. "Say no more. All three girls. What's Alice majoring in?"

"Nursing. She's actually got an interview coming up at a local hospital."

"And younger men," Emmett supplied, laughing as I rolled my eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with younger men, Emmett." Mom gave both of us a smile that I wanted to know nothing about. She stood and kissed my cheek and then Emmett's. "I'm going to go get started on things for the girls. You text me their address, or bring it with you tonight."

"Tonight?" I asked. Emmett looked equally confused.

"Dinner, if you want it."

"Hell yes!" Emmett hollered.

Mom laughed and headed toward the door. "Be over at six. I've got to give my boys some home cooking before you're stuck with room service and restaurants for months on end."

Emmett looked like he'd won the lottery. "Chicken parm?" he begged.

Mom smiled as she picked up the briefcase she'd left by the front door. "Of course. All your favorites. You'll have to find out what the girls' favorite dishes are as well." With a final wave, she was out the door.

Emmett shook his head. "I think she might love them more than us already."

I laughed. "More than you for sure. But not more than me."

That got me a punch on the arm that stung. "Just you wait. She and Bella will be thick as thieves and she won't call your ass anymore."

"She'll still call, probably to yell at us for whatever we do to piss the girls off."

Emmett chuckled. "True. I'll probably get more calls and visits then."

"Damn right."

"Okay, I'm going to work out before I go eat my weight in Mom's cooking. You coming?"

I may as well face Alec now. If I waited a day or two, he'd be harder on me. "Alright."

Emmett laughed at my expression. "Come on, action star, you gotta be buff to be Steven Steele."

What I wanted to be was at home with my Bella but that wasn't an option. "Yeah, yeah." Time to get back into the routine, such as it was.

Xoxoxoxox

Not even a day home and we were already playing tag. Bella had called while I was working out and by the time I called back, I got her voicemail. Then I had dinner with Mom and Dad and after Emmett's phone buzzed one too many times we were ordered to turn them off. And of course, Bella had called back. So I waited until I got home to try her again.

"Hello." The instant her warm voice filled the line I felt better.

"Hi, baby."

"Finally! I was beginning to think we'd never hook up today."

I laughed, relieved that she seemed as anxious about that as I did. "Tell me about it. Everybody's conspiring to keep us apart and I don't like it."

Bella giggled. "Nobody's conspiring."

"Ha! My mom made me turn off my phone at dinner all because Emmett kept getting texts from Rose."

"How dare they?" she demanded, still laughing.

"It was totally dirty stuff, too, I could tell by Emmett's face."

She laughed harder. "That doesn't surprise me, but why do you sound jealous? Did you want dirty texts?"

That was a silly question. "I always want dirty texts, love."

"Aww, I know you do, baby. And had I had a minute alone all day, I would have sent you some. Everywhere I went there was somebody there, just waiting for me." She sighed. "I think Rose and Alice were trying to make things easier, which I appreciate, but I missed you something fierce."

"I missed you, too."

I could practically hear her smiling through the phone. At least I hoped she was. "I could tell by your text. That was so incredibly sweet."

Her text back had been equally wonderful. She'd told me that her home would always be wherever I was as well and that she couldn't wait for forever with me. Had I not been in the gym when I read it, I might have called her immediately and been a complete sap. Alec would then have called me a girl and made me work out for a few more hours.

"I meant every word, baby. It feels quiet and lonely here, even though Emmett's with me."

"I know," she replied quietly. "One day down, right?"

I laughed as I leaned back against my pillows. "Yes, and it went pretty fast as long as I stayed busy. Mom surprised us not long after we got home."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

My cheeks heated as I remembered what she'd heard when she knocked on my door. "Mom's excited about your graduation. She's already plotting presents and care packages."

"Care packages? Presents? Edward, that's silly. She doesn't have to get me anything."

I rolled my eyes. "You try telling her that, baby. See if she'll listen to you. She's actually going to get stuff for Alice, too."

I could hear a little gasp on the phone. "Really? That's…that's amazing, Edward. Thank you."

Her words, as always, warmed me. "You have nothing to thank me for, baby. I just mentioned that Alice was around and Mom took it from there. We had to give her your address so expect something, I have no idea what." I wondered what Mom would have sent had we gone off to college far away. Who was I kidding? We'd never have gone that far. We were Momma's boys and we both knew it.

"That's so sweet. I'm looking forward to it," she murmured softly.

I knew where her mind had gone. "I told you that Mom's going to be a huge part of your life from here on out. She can be overbearing at times but she means well."

"I doubt I'll ever mind," she told me. I knew that was true.

"Em thinks she already loves you and Rose more than us. I told him that she probably loved you more than him, but never more than me."

That got her giggling again. I grinned at the sound. I didn't want my girl to be sad and it sucked that I knew she was. We were both going to be until I could hold her in my arms again. "I'll make sure you're always number one in her eyes."

"Not a competition, no matter how wonderful you are," I assured her.

"You're really going to fight with me over your mother's love?" she asked, sounding tickled.

Never. Bella deserved all the love she could get. "I'll allow you to be slotted in next to me, where you belong. How's that?"

"That's exactly where I want to be."

I figured I'd better change the subject before we both started crying. It wasn't something I did often and I really didn't want to start. "How was your day, baby?"

She sighed. "Not too bad, really. It wasn't easy being back after all that time off. I wanted to curl up and go to sleep in Feminist Lit."

I chuckled. "Is that a new feeling in that class though?"

"No, but it was stronger this time."

She cracked me up. "Poor baby."

"You just wait, I'm going to call you from that class one day and make you listen."

"Bring it, Bella. I could use a good nap."

"Ha. Just a few more weeks to suffer through and then I'll burn those books."

The image I got of her doing so was hilarious. "That's not very feminist of you. You should at least throw some bras in there, so you're supporting the movement at the same time as you reject it."

Her laugh was contagious. "I'll do that! Except do you really want me burning my bras?"

Hell no. "Uh, not any of the good ones. Don't you have an old ratty one that you wouldn't want anybody to see you in?"

"As if I'm going to burn my most comfortable bra? That's not supporting the movement at all!" She sounded positively horrified. "I should burn that dark blue one, the wires are pokey."

I felt my lips actually move into a pout at the idea. "I like the dark blue one."

"You like all of them."

That was true. "Why don't you buy some new cheap ones to burn? Do they come in a four pack like underwear? Get those," I suggested.

"You're such a boy. Four packs? I'll find something to burn, something that you aren't emotionally attached to."

Well, how did I know? "I'm emotionally attached to all your bras. Burn Rose's. Emmett would probably send you a thank you note."

"A thank you note is not worth the ass kicking I'd get for even thinking of such a thing."

That was true. Rose was scary. "Okay, just burn the books. I won't tell."

"You better not! So what were you doing while I was sharpening my mind?"

"I talked to Kate."

"Oh yeah? How'd that go?"

As well as could be expected. "She was a little thrown about me attending your graduation, but I told her that I'm going and that's that. If we're outed that way, so be it. I plan on mentioning the fact that I am very much taken tomorrow."

"Mmmm, I like hearing that. Are you ready for the interview?"

I smirked. "Those are old hat by now, baby. Yeah, I'm ready. I'm interested to see how she reacts to news of you and what happens after, I guess. My other relationships have all been so Hollywood. This is new for me."

"It's new for me, too." There was a pause and I worried she was already hating it. "I, um, ran into Mike today."

Mike? Mike. Damn that guy. "Oh?" I asked, while mentally running through potential agencies I could call to see about getting her a bodyguard. A big, scary one.

"Stop worrying, Edward. He was fine. But he mentioned you and of course I didn't really know what to say. I just told him that I was seeing someone now and it was new and I was keeping it private." She giggled nervously. "He invited us to his frat party this weekend."

He did, did he? "I see."

"I told him that we had other plans."

I immediately felt better, but then I felt guilty because I did. "You know, if you want to go…" I broke off because I didn't want it to sound like I was giving her permission or something. I had no control over what she did.

"I don't want to go. I've been there and done that. Besides, not only would Mike be there, but so would Jared. We're doing our best to keep Alice away from him so she doesn't suffer a relapse."

I chuckled. She made it sound like a sickness. "Okay, baby. I just don't want you to feel limited."

"Who says I'm limited? We do have plans on Friday night."

We do? "What plans?" I asked.

"Well, if you're free, I was thinking maybe we could have another Skype date. We won't be in the same time zone for much longer so I thought…"

"Hell yes! I'm free." I'd make myself be free, thank you very much.

Bella laughed. "You're so easy."

"Only for you, baby."

"Good. It's a date then." She yawned and I knew it was time to let her go.

"You need to get some rest, love."

"I know, but I don't want to let you go."

I smiled. "You couldn't if you tried. I wouldn't go anywhere."

"Good," she responded.

"Have sweet dreams, Bella. I love you."

"I love you, too, Edward."

She sounded sad again. I couldn't have that. "See you soon, baby."

"I love that. See you soon."

Very soon, because we were having a Skype date much to my utter joy. I ended our call and pulled up _Words._ Our last game had been forfeited, again by me for some unknown reason. Obviously, the game hated me or was sexist or something. Whatever. Now it was my turn to start. And of course my letters sucked. IHOHIDA? Idaho probably wouldn't play. Not an acceptable word my ass. Aid? That was boring. Hah? Ho? That would go over real well. Hid? Had? Hod? Doh? These letters sucked.

You know what? Why not start with what probably should have been our first word? There wasn't much to it, but I kind of liked it, so I played HI, frowned at the V and Z that showed up in return and opened the message box.

**Well, it's not a sexy word but I'll leave those to you. Instead I'll say hi, which probably should have been our first word. Not that I regret the words we did share. I never could. They brought me the woman I'm going to spend the rest of my life with, so every single one of them is wonderful.**

I grinned as I remembered some of the words she'd sent me.

**Especially the dirty ones. The best part of being away from you, if there is such a thing, is that I get your Words again. I'd rather have you, of course, but I'll take what I can get until I can have you again.**

**I can't believe I have to go to sleep without you. This big bed of mine is awfully lonely. I really can't wait for the day that you're here with me, or I'm there with you, or we're wherever together. See you soon, baby. I love you.**

That was that. I glared at the empty space next to me as I closed the app and set my phone aside. Not soon enough.

* * *


	39. Chapter 39

Waking to an alarm that wasn't set by either Ms. Swan or Bella Swan, naughty school girl, was not a pleasant experience. I shut it off, annoyed that the only girl I'd be spending time with today was Bree Tanner. Sighing, I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair as I automatically reached for my phone. Bella had class before I had to get up so maybe she'd sent a message. I frowned when the only text I had was from Kate.

**Bree said to wear something that defines you. Don't be late.**

What the hell? Something that defines me? I rolled my eyes. I was never late, either. Kate knew that. I opened my _Words_ app and smiled when I saw that Bella had played the word MUSH. Not exactly one of her sexy words but it still made me feel good. I opened the message.

_I'm pretty sure your first response to me was 'Hi, do I know you?' so we did have that covered, albeit in our typical unconventional way. I love hearing 'Hi' from you, though. Just that simple word tells me you're with me, which is all that really matters._

I grinned. That had been my response. I remembered wondering who she was and being intrigued by her from the get go. If only I'd known what she was going to be to me.

_I smiled when I saw that you'd started a new game. Your Words have long been a highlight of my day and they're going to be every day that we're apart. Just knowing that they're going to be there makes me smile. And I promise to send you the dirtiest words I can make. All for you._

Bless my Bella's dirty word skills. I'd never be sorry for them.

_Sleeping without you isn't any fun. I missed your warm, strong arms wrapped around me and the soft snores you make now and then that come out of nowhere and stop almost instantly. Did you know you do that? I'd find it annoying if I didn't love it because it reminds me that you're there. Or you will be, soon._

I did not snore. But damn, I missed her in my arms; the sweet scent of her hair, her soft skin, the little bit of drool she'd sometimes leave behind on my chest. Fuck, this sucks.

_I can't wait until the day we're together again either, Edward. I'd count them down but the number's too high right now and I hate thinking about it. Once we're together again I may never let you go. How do you like that? I love you, so much. See you soon._

I like that very much, Bella. I won't ever let you let me go. I'm too selfish to live without you.

While I thought about my response, I flipped back to the board. My letters were terrible. How was I supposed to write anything sexy with them? VAZHOID That sounds like some weird sort of drug. DASH? I'd like to dash back to Washington but no, that was a dumb word. VOIDS? That didn't send any kind of message. MAID? Hmm, French maid, Bella in a French maid costume, Bella in her hot cop uniform, Bella in nothing at all after I got a load of her in either of those. Yeah, that'll do. I played MAID and flipped back to reply to her.

**I'm always with you, Bella. Never doubt that. You were the last thing on my mind last night and the first thing on my mind this morning. My alarm going off without a sexy note from you telling me not to be late really sucked. Instead I had a message from Kate telling me not to be late to my interview. It doesn't have quite the same effect, though.**

**I know my word kinda sucked, but it was the best I could do. Plus, you would be an extremely sexy French maid. Or cop. Or Eskimo. You're be sexy any way.**

**Bring me all the dirty you can, baby. I'm going to need it to get through my time without you. Not that that's all that I want from you. Not by a long shot. Just having your words this morning brought a smile to my face.**

**Of course, you wiped that out by lying about me snoring, but I forgive you. You need to tease me. I get it. Just make it the good kind of teasing, baby. But wait until my interview is over. I wouldn't want to give the interviewer the wrong impression, after all. My impressions, such as they are, are all for you.**

**I'm going to hold you to your promise to never let me go. I'm ignoring the may you included with it. Let's just pretend it isn't there. Don't ever let me go, baby. I need you. And I love you. Always.**

I closed the app and got up to take a shower and figure out what in the hell I was supposed to wear that defined me. Jeans and a t-shirt, that was me. Who in the hell was Edward Cullen? I was a son, a brother, a boyfriend and an actor. I liked movies and TV and reading and…of course! I smiled as I finished washing my hair and stepped out of the shower. I pulled on my favorite pair of jeans and then went to my bag and took out the Star Wars shirt Bella had gotten me, removing the sound control because that just wasn't going to be happening. I wasn't going to wear the shirt solo, of course, so I put a blue YSL button down over it, keeping it open so they'd be able to see part of the shirt. The nerd underneath and the movie star on top. I also put on my black leather jacket and sunglasses. I smiled in the mirror and took a picture with my phone.

**Does this outfit work? Apparently I'm supposed to define myself through my clothing. I feel ridiculous trying to define myself through apparel.**

I attached the picture and sent it to Bella, hoping she had her phone on. A minute later my phone buzzed. Thank God.

_You should warn a girl before you send a picture of yourself looking so incredibly hot while she's stuck in class!_

I snickered. **Sorry, baby, it's an emergency.**

I could have asked Kate, of course, but now that I had my girl in my life, I wanted her to be part of it, even if she wasn't here.

_Humph. You're lucky I love you. And in answer to your question, you look great. I love that you're wearing my shirt!_

Well of course. **I love the idea of having this little piece of you with me when I go through the ringer. Plus, you know the real me and apparently they want to as well. So I'll show them both sides of myself.**

A minute later my phone buzzed again. _Just as long as they don't see the parts of you that are just for me! You look great and I know you'll knock them dead. Kick some ass, baby._

**Always, sexy. The interview with Playgirl is tomorrow, so that's when I might have to show the parts that are just for you. Talk to you later. I love you.**

I finished getting my things together and started out of my room as my phone buzzed again. _I love you, too, even though you totally just got me busted by my prof. The things I do for you! And I know the Playgirl thing is a lie._

I laughed as I headed into the garage. **Sorry, baby. I was just teasing. Is this a male or female professor? Don't let them keep you after class, that's my job!**

I started up my Mercedes and my phone buzzed again. _And now I'm even more turned on. Turnabout is fair play, Mr. Cullen. Just you wait. And it's a woman, lucky for you._

She was so awesome. I was grinning like an idiot as I backed out of the garage. I stopped in the driveway and sent a final text. **Bring it, baby.** I shoved my phone back in my pocket so I wouldn't be tempted to keep on talking to her and prove myself wrong on that whole being late thing. I'd much rather text Bella than spend the day with some reporter. If only.

xoxoxoxox

"Hello, Edward. I'm Bree Tanner. It's nice to meet you." She looked to be approximately my age, tall and lean with short brown hair that showed off about four piercings in each ear. Like me, she was in jeans and a t-shirt, though hers was ripped in places and featured big lips that said pucker up. We shook hands and she opened the door further, letting me into the Presidential Suite. I'd been to the Beverly Hills Hotel before but this room was something else.

"Nice room," I told her. The photographer snapped a photo of me the instant I stepped into the living room area. At least I assumed that was what it was. There was a fireplace, two white sofas, a chair and even a piano. I could easily picture myself and Bella in here and made a mental note to look into bringing her one day.

She laughed lightly and gestured to the couch on the right. I took a seat and she sat in the chair to my left. "The brass was excited that you agreed to the interview so they let us go first class all the way. This is Caz, he's our top photographer."

The bald guy nodded at me but didn't remove his camera from the front of his face. "I'll take candids now, we'll do posed later. I'd like to get some of you in the tower area and maybe on the roof."

"Sure," I agreed, because this was their deal, not mine. I took off my sunglasses and shrugged out of my jacket. "It's okay if I get comfortable, right?"

Bree nodded. "I hope you don't mind if I record this?"

I smiled at her as I took out my own recorder. "I have no problem with it if you don't have a problem with me doing the same."

She chuckled. "Come prepared, do you? Is this why I get you alone?" She clicked her recorder on and I did the same.

"I like to make sure my bases are covered. I've been misquoted before."

Bree smirked, her light blue eyes twinkling. "I bet you have. Care to elaborate on the who and what?"

Right. Like I was going to trash another magazine in hers. "Not really. It's water under the bridge by now."

"Before we get started, can I get you a drink? A smoke? Something to eat?" She gestured at the bar that was loaded with liquor.

Like I was stupid enough to drink during an interview? "I'm good." I sat back and my shirt opened a bit. Her eyes widened and she grinned.

"You're wearing a Death Star t-shirt?"

I smiled and showed her my shirt in all its glory. "You said to wear something that was uniquely me, right? It's no secret that I'm a big _Star Wars_ fan and was a bit of a geek in school." My mind flashed to my outfit that Bella put me in and I quickly tried to shut that door. I knew where my mind would go next and that was the last thing I needed right now.

Caz was taking pictures and I ignored him. I was used to it.

"In my experience, most movie stars don't like to remember the less glamorous times, but here you are showing it off. Why?"

I shrugged. "I'm not embarrassed about who I was. That's part of who I am today. Take away the money and the fame and I'm still the same guy I was back then. I like classic cult movies, video games and seventy's rock."

"And _Star Wars_."

"Especially _Star Wars."_

"What do you think of the newer movies?"

Ugh. Here's where I play the politician. "Like most, I prefer the originals. They're what I grew up watching. There were aspects of the new films that I enjoyed, of course. More Yoda is never a bad thing."

Bree laughed. "And if they do more and come calling for you, would you do one?"

Oh man. I laughed and ran a hand through my hair. "How could I say no to George Lucas? I'd probably do it, though I'd prefer to do a minor part or something. I don't think I'd want to be the face of another franchise."

"So maybe a Jedi that dies in the beginning?" she prompted.

I couldn't contain my smile. "That would be way cool. Who wouldn't want to be taken out by a light saber?"

Bree laughed, the sound low and smooth. "Well, if I ever get to meet George, I'll mention it to him."

"Much appreciated."

She sat forward a little, pinning me with her gaze. I knew that look. Here we go. Fun, bonding time over. "Speaking of franchises, you're heading overseas to film the next _Steele_ movie shortly, aren't you?"

I settled back against the cushions. "Yes. Filming starts next week."

"Is it easy slipping back into Steven Steele or does it get harder as you take on different roles in between movies?"

Not a bad question. "It's not difficult to bring him back. I feel like after three movies with him, I know him pretty well."

"Rumor has it you had some issues with the script this time."

Damn, where did she get that? I hid my surprise with a smile. "I didn't have issues with the script. There were just a few lines that didn't feel right to me and I spoke with the screenwriter and we worked them out." Was she looking for issues where there weren't any? "As I just said, I know my character pretty well and something felt off with a few lines. Revisions happen in every movie and I couldn't be happier with what we have now. I'm looking forward to shooting." Sort of. If my girlfriend wasn't going to be halfway across the world.

"And after _Steele?"_

"I'll be heading to England to film a period piece."

Bree's eyebrows lifted. "Really? That's different."

Yes, it was. "I think that's part of the fun of being an actor, trying different things."

"So you don't want to be the next big action star?" she asked.

A trap question. Insult my franchise or pigeonhole myself? No, Bree, not happening. "If the right action movie came along, I'd consider it. I wouldn't want to just be Steven Steele in a non- _Steele_ movie, though, you know? I like seeing what else I can do and most importantly, what the audience will accept me doing."

"And you think they'll come in droves to see you play…what exactly?" she asked.

I smiled. "I can't really say, at this time. I haven't quite signed on the dotted line yet. I'm sure there'll be some information in the trades when the time comes."

Bree just nodded. "Okay, I can wait." Her tone clearly said "for now." "Would you like some water?"

"Sure." Water I could do. She got us both a bottle and sat back down.

"Your latest movie, _Wild at Heart,_ is still raking it in at the box office."

It wasn't a question but I answered it anyway. "I'm gratified beyond words that it's doing so well. I never thought a little Indie flick like that would catch on so well."

"Women love you," Bree pointed out. Most of them, anyway. I wasn't too sure about Bree Tanner at this point. But it was her job to ferret out info and mine to keep from giving her something salacious.

"And I'm grateful for that. And for their boyfriends and husbands who come along with them to see it. There's a lot of rodeo action for the men and romance for the women. The script captured me from the start."

"What drew you in?"

That was easy. "The vulnerability. Imagining what it would be like to lose the ability to walk, to have to rely completely on someone else when you're used to being totally self-reliant. Having to learn how to open oneself up, physically and emotionally. It was a challenging part and I loved every minute of it."

And there it was. I saw the smirk and the twinkle in the eyes. Here we go. "Every minute? You had an onset romance, did you not?"

Yep, predictable as the sun. "For a time." She was going to have dig if she wanted information out of me. This had been covered to death.

"Until Irina took up with James Hunter."

I shrugged and sipped my water. "Relationships end. People move on. It's hardly news."

"Oh, but you were big news for awhile there. And then you had to go on a world tour with the two of them. It couldn't have been comfortable."

It was only uncomfortable when she wouldn't leave me the fuck alone. "I doubt we're the first, or last, exes to have to do press or work together. If everybody in this town who'd dated and broken up with a fellow actor never worked with one another again, casting agents would be hard pressed to fully staff a movie."

Bree laughed with delight. "You may have a point there. Still, it had to be uncomfortable being around the two of them, hearing about their marriage."

I smirked at her. "It would only be uncomfortable if I had any residual feelings over the situation. I don't. I wish Irina and James happiness."

"They're not together anymore," she informed me, as if I didn't know. But she didn't know that I knew.

"Oh, really? I hadn't heard that."

Bree studied me intently. "Either you're a really good actor or you really don't care."

"I like to think it's a mix of both," I informed her.

"Is it…" she broke off when my cell phone buzzed. "Do you need to take that?"

I suspected I knew who was texting me and the answer to that was a big fat yes. "Just a second." I pulled out my cell and smiled when I saw I had a text from Bella. I clicked it open and groaned when I saw what awaited me.

 _Consider it broughten. Yes, I just quoted Not Another Teenage Movie. Deal._ It wasn't the words that had me groaning, it was a picture of my Bella in nothing but my green t-shirt, lying on her bed with a come hither look on her face. Fuck me.

**You win, baby. Part of me wants to beg you for more pictures but I'm well aware that if you do, the title of the interview might be Edward Cullen, Viagra Addict? Four Hour Erections Are Possible.**

I chuckled as I sent it. Less than a minute later, I had a response. _Ha! You better not waste a four hour erection on some reporter. That's the only pic for now, baby. My photographer has class. Well, she has a class. Let's not call her classy. She wanted me to pose naked._

Fuuuuuck. Rose was a goddess. **I consider her quite classy. My photographer isn't nearly as cool as Rose, but you'll be glad to know the only clothing I've removed so far is my jacket.**

Throat clearing caught my attention. Shit. I smiled guiltily as my phone chimed again. _Good. Save the disrobing for our date on Friday night. I'll do the same._

Damn. A part of me was disappointed that she wouldn't be sending me any naughtier pictures, but another part was grateful as my dick was already straining against my zipper. **I can't wait, baby. I'll gladly take it all off for you.** Another sound from Bree. Shit. **Gotta go, Bella. I can feel the reporter's eyes boring into my head.**

I shut off my phone and smiled at Bree, who was definitely trying to see into my brain. "Sorry, it was important."

Shrewd blue eyes studied me. "Yes, clearly it was. I must say, I don't think I've ever seen you smile like that before."

Hmm. "I smile all the time."

"Yes, you do, but you were grinning and laughing and I'm pretty sure you forgot I was even in the room."

It was true. "I'm sorry about that. No more distractions."

Bree shook her head. "Oh, I'd like to talk about distractions. Who is she?"

Play dumb or let her have it now? "She's hardly a distraction."

The smile that lit Bree's face was engaging. I felt myself smiling back. "So you have someone special in your life?"

"Yes, I do." Incredibly special.

"And what can you tell us about her? Who is she?"

Let's see how this plays. "She's not in the industry and that's as much as I'm going to give you for now. I'd like to maintain her privacy."

Bree's eyes narrowed. "How can she have any privacy when she's dating Edward Cullen? The press follows your every move, yet none of us have caught wind of this girl. Is it Jane Turner?"

I laughed. "I just said she's not in the industry. Jane and I are just friends. She was kind enough to accompany me to the awards show because my girlfriend was unable to."

"Unable or unwilling?" she demanded.

"Unable." And we hadn't technically met yet. But that's my little secret.

"Come on, Edward. You know everybody's going to want to know. Tell us about her."

I shook my head. "She's twenty-two and we met through family. That's all I'm going to say for now."

"That's hardly anything. You know that you could save yourself a media stampede if you just laid it out now."

I chuckled at her cajoling tone. "Bree, do you honestly believe that? If I name her, the press will be all over her. They can stay all over me, I'm used to it. I'm not subjecting her to the media until we both decide that she's ready for it. You know what you all can be like. It's intimidating to those of us who are used to it, tons worse for those who aren't. Right now, the two of us just want to keep it private."

"Is she going to Berlin with you?" she asked, still pressing.

I smiled. I could answer this truthfully, at the moment. "No. She has other commitments."

"Like what? Work?"

"Like that." School was work after all.

Bree sat back, sighing. "You're not going to give me anymore than that, are you?"

"Haven't I just given you an exclusive? Everybody else thinks I'm either on the market or dating Jane. I'm letting you know that neither is true and that I've met someone I care for very much who makes me happy. You got a scoop."

She smiled and I saw that feral joy in the fact that she was first with the hot news. "You say you met through family?"

"Yes." In a matter of speaking. My brother had hauled my ass up to meet her.

"Which member of your family?" I just smiled and Bree looked defeated. "No? Alright. How about we talk about your family?"

I knew it wasn't going to be that easy. "What about them?"

"Every single member of your family is in the industry. What's that like?"

I smiled. That was easy. "It's pretty great. Mom and Dad live nearby; we see them all the time. Emmett and I work together often. My mother's contacts are what started us both in the business. Dad's not exactly in the industry, but he supposedly works on a lot of people who are." I shrugged. "He doesn't talk about his patients."

"Your brother meets a lot of women."

Here we go. "I suppose he does."

"Did he introduce you to your special someone?"

I shook my head. "Bree…"

"I had to try. Your brother's gotten in some trouble over the years."

Damn it. "His past is a matter of public record."

"But you don't talk about it."

"It's not mine to discuss. I'm sure Emmett would be amenable if you wanted to interview him sometime." Actually he'd love it. And he'd probably give her a play by play of every arrest, except for the two that Mom didn't know about.

"You live together. What's that like?"

I smiled. "It's just like living with my brother. We've been friends for as long as I remember. It's nice to have someone else to share my space with."

"So you're not living with this mystery girl?"

I snickered. "No, I'm not." I only wish I was. Soon.

"When do you spend time with one another?"

And we're back. "Whenever we can."

"You won't even give us a name?"

"No." I kept my smile easy. I'd expected this.

"I don't understand. If you're not going to do anymore than tell us she exists, why are you bothering to say anything at all?"

And there was the good question. "It's simple. Just because we want our privacy, doesn't mean I don't want people to know that I've found someone that I love very much." Bree gasped but I continued. "We're stuck in a situation where we want to be together but we also want our privacy. I don't want her to have to see my name linked to every woman that I work with, smile at or hold the door for. She's already had to read about Jane and me supposedly having babies and secret marriages and whatnot. I'd rather acknowledge that there _is_ a woman in my life, that she's not in the business and that I'm very happy with her. That story may be boring to the tabs, but it's perfect to me."

Bree sighed. "Alright, I get it. But can I clarify one thing you just said?"

"Yes."

"You love her?"

I didn't even hesitate to answer that. "Absolutely."

"You can't have been together that long."

"Sometimes you just know, Bree."

"And you know?"

"I most certainly do."

"And there's nothing else you'll tell us about her?"

I laughed. "You don't give up, do you? She's smart, funny, and incredibly beautiful and I can be myself with her. She likes me for who I am, not what I am. I've never been happier."

Bree smiled at me. "And it shows. I have to say, I envy you. It sounds like you've found what you want. What most of us want."

I was lucky. "I did, when I least expected it. After my last relationship, I had every intention of focusing solely on work, but she came along and changed everything."

"And her name is?"

I chuckled and Bree joined me. "When we decide we're ready, I'll be happy to tell you."

"First?"

"I'll have to see what you write about me before I agree to that."

Bree winked at me and I could see we had an understanding. "Fair enough. What can you tell me about the _Steele_ movie?"

I breathed a sigh of relief and launched into some information about the movie. We'd survived step one. It would remain to be seen what would come after Bree released information. I knew it wouldn't be long.

Xoxoxoxoxox

It had been a long day. By the time the interview ended and all pictures were taken, it was after work hours. I stopped off at Kate and Garrett's and gave her the tape, so she could go over it. She signed off on what I'd said about Bella and actually got giddy at how in love I clearly was. I endured that and wolfed down a burger that Garrett grilled for me before heading home. Of course the first thing I did when I got there was call my girl.

"Hi!" she chirped into the phone.

"Hi, troublemaker."

Her giggle had me laughing. "You told me to bring it."

"And you sure did broughten it. I know better than to send you pictures now."

"That's not cool! I want pictures!" she complained.

So did I. "So do I, baby. Lots more just like the one you sent me. My t-shirt covered more of you than your gray one does though."

Bella giggled. "Well, I wanted you covering me."

I groaned. "Damn, baby, I want that, too."

"Soon, Edward. Very soon."

Soon was our word, it seemed. "I know."

"So how did it go?"

I smiled. "Really well, I think. The reporter pushed me but I only gave her a little information. I refused to give your name or how we met beyond saying we met through family."

Bella laughed. "In a way, we did."

"Exactly. It's not a lie. Of course you sending me that picture clued her in to the fact that I might have someone in my life. She said she never saw me smile like that before."

"I love to make you smile."

"You do all the time," I assured her.

"That's a very good thing. I think that...what?" Bella asked. I heard Alice babbling in the background. "Um, Edward, I think you should turn on _E!"_

Already? I had no doubt that it would leak but this was fast. I flipped on the TV and found a commercial. "You want me to know what the Kardashians have coming up?" I asked. Seriously, every fucking commercial break on this channel was filled with them. It was ridiculous. That's why I didn't watch this shit.

Ryan Seacrest came on the screen. "A certain Hollywood hunk is apparently off the market. Word leaked today that Edward Cullen is dating someone, although he's not saying who at this point. He discusses his new relationship and a whole lot more in next month's issue of _Rolling Stone._ Who's the lucky lady? I'll be talking to Edward on my radio show on Thursday so stay tuned."

I groaned. That was going to be fun. Bella murmured something. "What?"

"It's just surreal, you know? They're talking about me. Ryan Seacrest is talking about your girlfriend and that's me. It's…it was easy to forget when it was just the two of us alone."

I felt a twinge of fear. "Are you sorry I said anything?"

"Oh, Edward, are you crazy? Of course not. I'm sorry that you're going to get a lot of attention for awhile. Maybe you should have Emmett get arrested again."

"No way!" I heard Rose shout. They killed me and I laughed, relieved.

"I'm used to it, Bella. Kate'll be the one that fields all the calls and the majority of questions. I can handle Seacrest and anybody else though." And I was going to have a truckload of flowers delivered to Kate's office tomorrow. She was going to have a hell of a day thanks to Bree giving Ryan that little head's up.

Bella giggled. "Of course you can handle him. He's like five feet tall and about half your weight."

She cracked me up. "True. You could probably take him, baby."

"We'll sic Rose on him if he causes any trouble." The girls were all laughing at that one, making me smile.

It was an image I could get behind. "That works."

I heard a sound and Bella blew out a breath. "There, alone again."

"Are you sure you're okay with it, Bella?"

"I am. It's just weird seeing your picture on TV and thinking about you talking to Seacrest. I miss our little bubble."

So true. "I miss it, too, beautiful."

"Edward, stop worrying."

"I can't help it. When they find out about you…"

"When they find out about me, I can hold your hand on the red carpet. And we can go out to dinner in a fancy restaurant or a small town diner. We can walk on the beach and kiss in the park. Maybe there will be morons taking our picture, but it'll be us, Edward. That's all that really matters to me."

I smiled. She was romanticizing it a bit, but I did like the idea of actually being seen with her. "They don't always hide in trees and give you distance, baby."

"I know. But you'll be by my side, right?"

"Of course." As if I'd ever want to be anywhere else.

"Well, that's all I need."

Her words, as always, made me feel a million times better. "You're all I need."

Bella laughed lightly. "You have me." And that made me the luckiest man in the world.


	40. Chapter 40

"Hello, beautiful. How are you today?" I cringed waiting for her response.

"Don't talk to me, Cullen. I don't like you anymore.

I suspected as much. "You know I didn't mean for it to happen. I never thought she'd go running off to…"

"Of course she ran to _E!_ She wants pub for her magazine you dolt. Do you know how many times my phone has rung since Seacrest ran his fool mouth last night?" she demanded.

No. And I really didn't want to. "Did you get the flowers?" I'd spent a small fortune on pretty much every bouquet they had save for the lovey dovey ones. She'd probably just throw those at me.

"Yes, I got your stupid flowers. Did you think that would make it all better?"

I ran my hand through my hair. "Yes."

She let out a laugh. "You think you're real charming, don't you?"

The sound of that made me smile. "I know I am. You can't resist me."

"I've managed all these years, despite your obvious attempts to lure me from Garrett's clutches." She broke off at something. "Shut up, Garrett, you're not hotter than him." I snickered as they started in again. "I don't see you on the cover of _People_ as Sexiest Man Alive. I don't know why I love either one of you. I'm going to run off with George Clooney or something, wash my hands of the both of you."

"You'd miss me if you ran off with Clooney. Plus you'd always have to be on the lookout for the next model. You know he only stays with a girl for a couple years at most. I've been faithful to you for seven years and Garrett even longer than that." I grinned as I teased her.

Kate sighed. "There is something to be said for stability and longevity. Fine. I'll stay with you both, but it's under extreme duress."

I chuckled. "I'm sorry to cause you extreme duress. I knew the instant I heard it on TV that it was going to be bad."

"Everybody wants an interview with you. _Extra_ and _Entertainment Tonight_ have called me about a billion times a piece. _People_ wants a five page spread that includes photos of you and the mystery girl, as they've taken to calling Bella. The _Enquirer_ claims they have a picture of the two of you together." That freaked me the fuck out. Was it possible? "Unless Bella was lounging at the Beverly Hills Hotel during your photo shoot yesterday, I think we're safe there." Oh, thank God. I breathed deeply trying to control my suddenly racing heart.

"Where they get this stuff is beyond me. The girl is gaping at you like she just saw a resurrected Elvis and you're not even looking at her. Morons," Kate muttered. " _Star_ is claiming you and Jane are coming out of the closet and proclaiming your love for real now. _In Touch_ thinks that you're back with Irina, something that I have a feeling she's not disputing."

"Fuck. Are you kidding me?"

"Of course not. I can't say that I've checked in with her people, but her name has come up several times just in the questions I fielded. Ridiculous, but you know her. She'll feed the lie for as long as she can."

"I made it clear to Bree that I was well over Irina."

Kate laughed. "That you did and it'll really burn her ass when it comes out, but we've got a couple weeks before that happens."

"A couple weeks?"

"Yeah, they're actually going to press a little early apparently. I'd hate to be one of their reporters. They want to be the first with the real scoop."

I rolled my eyes. While I wasn't looking forward to the time change and being so far away from Bella, I was glad that I was getting the hell out of California. "So, what have you been telling them?"

Kate groaned. "Just what we talked about. That you do have someone special in your life but you're keeping it private for now and we hope they'll respect your privacy. I'm sure they're respecting it from outside the gates of your lovely community right now."

I chuckled. She was probably right. "No doubt."

"I've turned down all requests for interviews at this time. I told them you're heading out of the country to shoot and you don't have time before you leave. If you want me to arrange something with someone…"

"No. I'll talk to Seacrest tomorrow as planned and that's it. He's easy."

Kate snickered. "That's what she said. Or is it, he said? I can't tell with that boy."

She killed me. "You know what I mean."

"I do. He's a kissass and he won't piss you off by pushing you too hard. You're mainly talking to him about _Wild at Heart_ anyway, so keep it toward that and just keep saying your private life is private and all that jazz."

"I'll handle it."

"Be sure that you do. What are you up to today?"

"Meeting with Marcus to sign the Shrader contract and discuss the rom com and a workout with Alec." Other than that, I was keeping my ass at home. I didn't want to deal with anymore than I had to.

"That's good. Don't forget the voiceovers for Mercedes as well. Yes, Garrett, I told him. He's such a pain in the ass," she muttered to me.

"I know. It'll all get done. Thanks, Kate. Sorry for the chaos."

"It's what I live for." It was true. Nobody handled things better than Kate did. "Call if you need anything."

"Will do. Later Kate. Tell G I said bye and I'll call him later."

"Of course he comes last." She snickered. "Sorry, Garrett, the boy has priorities. Yes, he'll talk to you later. No, he doesn't want to talk to you now. He'd rather talk to his girl. Notice how I came first. Just saying."

I laughed. "Nobody comes before Bella but I figured I owed you an apology and if I waited you'd rip my head off."

"So true, my boy. Don't look twice at some girl when you're out and about or you'll be engaged before dinner."

She was probably right. The tabs were already on the hunt. "I'll try to keep my glances for the men. Maybe that'll get them looking in a whole new direction."

Kate laughed. "There you go. Check out some men in the gym."

I shook my head. "I always do." She laughed hard. "Bye, Kate."

"Bye, Edward."

I ended the call. Bella was in class right now and I missed her terribly even though I'd talked to her well into the night last night. After the _E!_ snippet had aired and we'd talked it out, I felt like things were going to be okay with her. She still didn't know what she was in for, but it sounded like she'd deal with it no matter what. And I would be there for her. We had so much to get through before I could even think about that. She'd told me all about her conversation with her father and it sounded like he was still leery of me. I guess I couldn't blame him. I wouldn't want my and Bella's daughter taking off for a week with some actor either. I'd just have to show him how much I loved her when I met him. That wouldn't be hard. It felt like the love burst out of me when I was with her.

We'd practically fallen asleep on the phone together, which was not nearly as good as falling asleep with her in my arms but at least her voice was the last thing I heard before I drifted off. I opened my _Words_ app to see if she'd played. WIFED? I didn't know that was a word. What I did know was that I damn well liked it. I opened up her message quickly.

_My poor baby. I'm sorry you had to wake up to go to your interview with one of the coolest magazines on the planet. I had to go to class, and not one of our sexy classes. That's not fair!_

She had a point. Nothing touched our sexy classes.

_And then you teased me with your gorgeous self and rendered me useless for the rest of the day. Are you proud of yourself? I know you are._

Supremely proud, baby. I love that you were hot for me all day. And I made you even hotter last night. Win all around.

_So now you have a thing for French maids along with teachers and cops? What other fetishes are you hiding from me? I'll bring you the dirty, Edward, although this time I brought you the sweet, I hope. Someday, right?_

God, yes. Someday soon if I have my way.

_You do snore now and then, but it's cute and quiet, so I don't mind in the least. And yes, your impressions are all mine, though I'm afraid I've already interrupted your interview. That was rude of me, but you did tell me to bring it. And nobody said you had to keep your phone on, so it's totally your fault._

_Okay, since you asked so nicely, I'll never let you go. You're stuck with me, buddy, so you're just going to have to deal with it. I hope the rest of your interview goes well and without incident. If it's necessary, I'll testify to the fact that you don't need Viagra, you just need me. I love you, too._

That's right, baby, you're all I need. I was smiling so wide my cheeks hurt, but I couldn't help it. Her words just did that to me every single time. I flipped back to the game and hell yes, I had a fabulous word! It went perfectly with what she'd sent me. VOW.

**Alright, baby, I get it. I'm not allowed to whine about the hardships of my glamorous life while you're toiling away in a classroom. Every time I write that word, or think of it, I get all sorts of naughty images in my head just so you know. How sturdy are the desks in that room anyway?**

**Can a picture of me really render you useless? At least you can play that off as being tired or something. Bree didn't comment, but I can assure you that your picture did something else entirely to me. I would have been quite useful if you'd been around, let me tell you.**

**I'll take your dirty and your sweet. Hmm, maybe that should be our song. You're dirty sweet and you're my girl. I like it!**

**Yes, baby, without a doubt, someday. I think my word shows you how very serious about that I am. I'm all yours and as you said, you're all I need. Since I can't take the other vow right now, I'll just say that I vow to love you forever. Talk to you soon, love.**

I closed the app and pushed up out of bed. I had a lot of shit to do today and it was time to get on it.

Xoxoxoxox

Kate had called it on the crowd of reporters, if one could even call them that, outside of my gate. Why they thought I'd have Bella in the car with me was beyond me, but whatever. Instead I had Emmett, who'd insisted upon going to the gym with me, probably because he wanted to court the press. He rolled down the car window as I tried to navigate through the sea of bodies that was surrounding my Mercedes. Cameras were flashing everywhere and I was afraid I'd run somebody over by accident. Fucking vultures. Just because I was used to it didn't mean I liked it at all.

"Hi!" Emmett shouted, waving his beefy arm through the window. "You found us out, alright! I'm Edward's truest of loves!" He started blowing kisses as I cursed and gripped the wheel tightly. The next thing I knew, he planted a loud kiss on my cheek.

"What the fuck, Emmett?" I demanded, scrubbing to get his slurp off of me.

"I'm just giving them the shot they crave," he informed me, still smiling and waving like an idiot.

"Would you cut that out?" I asked. Finally I got around some guy with a camera plastered to his face and put the pedal to the medal. They could try to follow me.

"Hey, Rosie said I'm not allowed to get on TMZ for being arrested. I have to get on there somehow. A hundred bucks says there's a picture of me kissing your pretty face within the hour."

Damn it. "I'm not taking that bet. It's a sure thing. Thank God Bella doesn't live here. Do they really think that I'd just drive around town with her the day after announcing that?"

Emmett shrugged. "I don't think they're known for thinking, bro. They just want that million dollar shot." He paused and a smile lit his face. "Turn back around. I'll give it to them!"

Oh Lord. "Nothing on you is worth a million dollars."

"Hey!" He crossed his arms, pouting. "I'll have you know that my body is worth way more than that."

"Sure. I'll ask Alec when we get there."

"Whatever." He sulked through the ride to CAA and my meeting with Marcus. I signed on the dotted line for the period piece. Bella and I thought it was great and even though I hated that it would keep me away for longer, I had to do something while she was in school, didn't I?

"Do you really think they're going to sign Jane to be in that comedy with you?" he asked.

I shrugged. "It doesn't hurt to ask. We have good chemistry together, we're friends, and the rumors about the two of us only add fuel to it." I smiled. "Plus Bella wasn't too thrilled with the sex scene thing and she knows and likes Jane. Well, she's talked to her and liked her through the phone anyway. Jane's lack of interest in me was apparent, so it might make her feel better. And I'd love to work with her again. She's fun."

"That's cool. What the hell?" he asked as we stopped in front of the gym. Yeah, they were here, too. Apparently the paps knew where I worked out. Joy. I grimaced and grabbed my gym bag before getting out of the car. Emmett moved in front of me and started brushing people aside. It wasn't as many as had been outside my home, but there were still quite a few snapping away.

I kept my head down and ignored the shouted questions about where my lady love was. Lady love? Emmett snickered at that one himself even as he bumped a photog with his elbow, hard. "Oops, sorry." He reached back and gripped my arm, leading the way into the gym just as Alec came barreling out with a glare that put the fear of God into me. He was going to kick my ass, no doubt about it.

"Don't you scum have anything better to do than harass a man who's obviously in dire need of a workout?" he demanded. He threw one reporter aside, using only his left arm to do it. "This is private property and if you don't get the fuck off of it, I will be calling the police."

Because he was big and scary, they moved away, muttering and still taking pictures of me. "Thanks, Alec."

He smirked. "No problem. I'm only sorry I didn't get to kick anyone's ass. Well, I guess that leaves yours."

Fuck. "Go easy on me."

"Hell no. You've got to be worked like you've never been worked before." He held open the door and I stepped inside. Alone at last. Well, alone with a bunch of sweaty men, but that was better than the press any day.

"Here's your money shot!" Emmett yelled. I turned around just as he dropped trou and posed in the doorway. Holy shit. Only my brother. Alec was laughing his ass off and I shook my head. Emmett posed for a good minute just to be sure everybody got their shot. "That ought to keep them occupied."

I chuckled. "I'm sure they're quite satisfied now."

"Rosie's gonna love it," he told me, pulling his shorts back up and heading to the free weights.

I didn't doubt that she would. I'd have to tell Bella to stay off TMZ. She didn't need to see my brother's ass plastered all over the place.

Xoxoxoxoxox

Thursday

"You've got five minutes, Edward," Melissa, my stylist, warned me. We were finalizing wardrobe for the movie, though why I had to go through this every time was beyond me. I rarely fluctuated in weight and Steven Steele's style was pretty well set by now. Jeans, tight shirts that showed off my chest and arms, and a leather jacket pretty much completed the wardrobe. But it was what it was.

Five minutes was plenty anyway. I called in to the prearranged number and waited. "KIIS FM, this is Sheila."

"Hi, Sheila, Edward Cullen."

"Ooooh," she cooed. "Hello there."

Lord. "I'm calling for Ryan."

"Of course, I'll put you right through."

There was a pause and then there he was. "Hi, Edward. We'll be on right after the commercial, okay?"

"Sure thing," I said agreeably, kicking back on the sofa.

"And we're on in five, four, three, two…This is Ryan Seacrest and I'm on the phone with the one and only Edward Cullen. Hello, Edward."

"Hi, Ryan. Thanks for having me."

"Oh, we're very excited." I smirked at that one. Of course he was. "You've been the talk of the town for the past couple of days."

I laughed. "Yeah, it's been a little hectic since you mentioned me on _E!"_ I tried to keep the edge out of my voice but I wasn't sure I was successful.

"You've been single since your split with Irina last year so it's pretty big news."

Right. "Dating wasn't a priority for me. I guess what they say is true, love comes along when you're least expecting it."

Ryan laughed. "Maybe that's what my problem is." I'm sure you have a lot of problems, Ryan. "So, what can you tell us about the mystery lady in your life?"

"Just that she makes me happier than I've ever been and she's not in town so the people looking for pictures of the two of us together are going to be disappointed."

"So, you won't even tell us a name? What does she do?"

"No. She's not in the business; that much I'll say."

"How'd you meet then? It's hard to meet someone not in the business around here."

Damn it. I was done with this. "Yes, it is. I do have one thing I can tell you about her."

"What's that?" he asked breathlessly.

I smirked. "She loved _Wild at Heart._ " Take that, Ryan.

"Er, yes, well we all did. It's done very well at the box office hasn't it?"

And we're back on track. "Yes, I'm thrilled with the love it's gotten from fans. It's always scary to try something new and hope the audience will respond to it. I want to thank all those who have seen it and continue to go see it even now."

"It's a great movie. I've heard some Oscar rumblings."

Me too. It was amazing. "It's too early in the year to predict something like that but I'm honored people think the film is worthy of that kind of attention."

"And you're heading out to film the next _Steele_ movie soon?"

"Yes, principle shooting starts next weekend." Melissa stuck her head in and gave me the high sign. I nodded. "I'm actually with wardrobe right now and they're telling me I need to get a move on. Thanks so much for having me on your show today, Ryan."

"Anytime, Edward. And I look forward to seeing you and your new lady on the red carpet next year."

I grinned at the very idea. "That's a ways off but I look forward to that as well. Thanks, Ryan."

"Thanks, Edward." I clicked off and breathed a sigh of relief. Another one down.

Xoxoxoxoxox

Friday

I logged in to Skype and practically bounced on my bed waiting for her to join me. It felt like forever since I'd seen her, when it had only been four days. Well, less if you counted looking at pictures, but it wasn't the same. We'd done FaceTime on our phones last night as well but there was something disconcerting about the way people looked on that thing. Skype was so much better.

Thirty long seconds later connection was established and my beautiful Bella was on my screen. "Hi, handsome," she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Uh oh.

"What's wrong, baby?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. I'm not going to let her ruin tonight."

Fuck. Who had upset my girl? I had a sneaking suspicion I knew the answer. "You called her, didn't you?" She'd told me about her talk with her father and his mentioning that she might want to invite her mother to her graduation. Since I was of the same mind on that one, I'd encouraged her as well. Now I wanted to kick both our asses for taking the shine out of my sweet girl's gorgeous brown eyes.

"Yeah. It went just how I expected it would." She sighed. "I'm not going to let it ruin our night, though. It's great to see you again."

"It's great to see you, too, always, but if you think we're not going to talk about whatever she said that put that look in your eyes, you're wrong."

Bella scowled. "Tonight isn't supposed to be about that."

No, but it would get in our way no matter what. "Maybe not, but it's supposed to be about us and whatever's bothering you bothers me, baby. That's how it works. Tell me what happened."

She brushed back her hair and shifted. I noticed she was wearing my blue shirt and it was falling down one shoulder. She looked stunning, of course, but so very sad. I wanted to hold her and take it all away. Since I couldn't do that now, I'd just have to settle for listening.

"I called her and as usual, the conversation was all about her." She scrunched up her face. "She's dating some guy who thinks she's thirty." She laughed bitterly. "Apparently he's loaded, which she loves. Whatever. I mentioned graduation and she has plans to be in New York with him that week, but she invited me to come along. Apparently he has a thirty-five year old brother that would be perfect for me." My fists dug into the bed at that one. Like fucking hell she was running off to New York with some guy who was old enough to be her...well, much older brother.

"And what did you say to that?" I asked, frowning.

Bella laughed. "What do you think I said? Get me a plane ticket? Please, Edward. I told her that I was seeing someone that I loved very much so I wasn't interested." I relaxed as Bella rolled her eyes. "She told me I'm much too young to settle down and that I was graduating and going out into the real world so I should leave school boys behind. Oh, and she said that I'd clearly have to pretend to be her little sister since she was only thirty. I could call her Renee instead of Mom. Like she's ever been one." The bitterness in her tone made me want to call her mother and bitch her out. Or better, let my mom do it.

"I'm sorry, baby. I shouldn't have encouraged you to call her."

Bella's face softened a little with her smile. "Don't be. If I didn't try, I would have wondered if I should have reached out and tried to make things different. At least now I know."

Now I knew that her mother was a selfish bitch who was unworthy of one second of my girl's time. I'd never ask about including her in anything again. When we got married, she could read about it in _People_ like the rest of the world. "I wish I could make it better," I told her. I cursed the distance between us, distance that would only grow greater in the morning.

"You do." She smiled again. "The part that bugged me the most was what she said about you. Well, not you specifically, since I didn't tell her who you were, but her insistence that I was too young to be in love and settle down." She laughed bitterly. "She married my dad when she was my age and had me shortly after. She came just short of saying she regretted it. It's not like I didn't know that, but to hear it be confirmed was more or less a slap in the face."

Damn it. "She couldn't possibly regret having you, Bella. No matter how fucked up her priorities are, she does care about you. She wanted to spend time with you, even if you had to pretend to be her little sister to do it." I forced a smile and Bella laughed.

"I guess. I just let myself think it would be different. It's kind of your mom's fault."

What? "My mom? How could it be her fault?"

Bella shook her head again. "Don't go getting upset, I'm not attacking your mom. I'm complimenting her." Her eyes filled with tears. Fuck. "We got her presents today and she's just amazing, Edward. Really. The fact that someone that didn't even know me could send me something so sweet, so perfect…it just made me think that maybe my mom could get it right too. It was stupid."

"No, baby, it wasn't stupid. Your mom should be like mine. I'm sorry that she's not." I wanted to bring the smile back to her face. "What did my mom send you anyway? She wouldn't tell us a thing."

That did it. She smiled and shifted the camera, showing me her feet that were covered in fuzzy green socks. "These, for one, along with the softest matching bathrobe I've ever seen. Champagne, chocolates, a gift certificate to the fanciest spa in town; it was high class all the way. Rose wants to dump Emmett and just run off with your mother."

I laughed and thankfully, so did she. "And do you?"

She giggled. "It's a close call, but I think I'll keep you."

"Damn right you will, baby. I'm glad Mom sent you guys something you could use."

Her smile was brighter now and definitely more what I was used to seeing from my girl. "She did. Green for me, blue for Rose and pink for Alice. Did you tell her what colors to get?"

I shook my head. "No, she did that all on her own. I didn't know anything about what she was sending."

"Well, she nailed us all. Rose and Ali have already booked us for the spa next weekend."

I smiled. "That's great, love. I hope you have a good time." A thought occurred to me. "You're getting massages and whatnot, right?"

Bella grinned. "That's part of the package."

"Man or woman masseuse?"

Bella laughed. "Does it matter?"

"Uhhhh…"

"Did you have some woman putting you in and out of clothes yesterday, Mr. Cullen?"

She had a point but still. "That was work, baby."

"Such a tough job you have." Sarcasm dripped from her tone.

I smirked. "It is, but someone's gotta do it. Plus, it's different. It's more like getting fitted from a tailor, not felt up by some muscle bound man named Sven who'll let his fingers slip to places only allowed to be touched by me."

Bella snickered. "Sven? Where'd you get that one?"

"Some movie I imagine. So, man or woman?"

Bella shook her head. "I won't know until I get there. But I can assure you whether it's Sven or Svetlana, there won't be any wandering fingers."

I pouted. "It better be Svetlana."

Bella giggled. "And what if she cops a feel? Does that make it any better?"

That was a tricky question. "Um…"

"Pervert." She shifted and the computer moved to the side of the bed, next to her, giving me a better view of her body. She wasn't wearing anything but my shirt and I groaned. "So, you don't want anybody to touch me but you?" she asked softly. I watched with interest as her hand moved down her stomach.

"I would prefer it that way, yeah."

"So, then you don't want me touching myself?" she asked, her finger flexing against my shirt, inching it up a little higher, showing me some slim, sexy thigh.

"No, that's allowed," I assured her, my voice thickening and my cock hardening at just the thought of her doing that.

"Really? I wouldn't want to do anything that you didn't want me to do." The shirt moved another inch higher, her skilled fingers stroking her silky skin. My mouth was dry.

"I want you to, baby." But I had to be sure this was what she wanted. "Are you sure that…"

"I'm sure, Edward. I want to enjoy this night with you. Who knows how long it'll be before we have this kind of time again?"

She was right, of course, but I didn't want to push. "Make me forget," she asked, her sweet brown eyes pleading with me. Like I could resist that.

"Of course, love. You know I want you. Anything in particular you want tonight?" I'd be anything she wanted me to be, anything to make her smile.

"Just you, Edward. It's always just you." Her words blasted through me like they always did. Every time I thought I couldn't love her more, she said or did something that proved me wrong.

"I'm all yours."

"Show me," she asked, biting her lip. I set the computer aside and pulled off my t-shirt and boxers. Her eyes fixed on my cock, which was ready and waiting for her.

"See, baby? See how excited you get me?"

Her eyes glazed over and she liked her lips. "Uh huh." She smiled and reached down to the hem of my shirt, sliding it slowly over her body, revealing inches of creamy, white, perfect skin. Her thighs, her stomach, her perky breasts...I wanted to devour every bit of her. She pulled the shirt over her head and set it beside her. "It still smells like you," she said, smiling softly.

That was fucking hot. "I love that my scent is on you, baby."

"Me, too. I can pretend like you're here."

I ached at her words. "I want to be. More than anything."

"I know." She smiled wickedly. "Are you sure there won't be any interruptions?"

I laughed. "Yes. Emmett's at some charity auction with my mother."

That made her giggle, which made her chest jiggle. Fuck, I wanted to be touching those sexy tits of hers. "He can't be happy about that."

I snickered, remembering his whining as he'd put on his tux. "It's his punishment for kidnapping me and scaring my mother."

Bella laughed. "He shouldn't be punished for that."

"Believe me; he's going to milk me for all I'm worth to make up for it." I smiled. "But now I'm all alone and have you to myself, just like I like it."

"Yeah? And what would you like to do with me?" She tilted her head and trailed her fingers down her chest.

"Everything, baby. I want to touch you and taste you and make love to you for hours."

"Where do you want to touch me, Edward?" A finger circled her right breast and I moaned.

"Right there, baby."

"Like this?" she asked, barely brushing her knuckles across her breast. I watched it pucker in response and wished I could wrap my lips around it.

"Harder," I told her. She pinched her nipple lightly and I groaned and palmed my cock. "Yeah, just like that." She gave the same attention to the left. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. "You're so gorgeous, Bella."

"You make me feel that way. I want your cock, Edward."

Christ. "It's yours."

"I want it in my mouth."

Shit, I was going to come in no time flat just from her saying shit like that. "I love when you wrap those beautiful lips around me, baby."

"I know you do. And you like it when I hum like this." She demonstrated and I stilled my hand on my cock before I blew my load then and there.

"Damn, Bella. You know I do. Where do you want my mouth?" I licked my lips and she let out a quiet gasp.

"On my…" she started, but I hurried to interrupt her.

"Don't tell me, baby. Show me."

So she did. Her legs spread open and she circled her clit with her middle finger. She killed me. "You want me to taste you, baby? I'd love to. Can you feel my tongue on you?"

She nodded and let her head fall back to rest against the headboard, her mouth slightly open as she began to finger her pussy harder. I reached over and grabbed some of her lotion from the nightstand and began to stroke my cock in time with her movements. Her apricot scent made me even harder. It was like she was in the room with me.

"I want you inside me," she told me as she slipped a finger inside herself. Fuck. This was even better than watching her play with her toy.

"I want that more than anything, baby. Do you want me fuck you?"

"God yes," she moaned. Another finger joined the first and she worked herself frantically. It wouldn't be long, which was a good thing since I was practically screaming for release. I jerked my cock harder.

"I'm pounding into you, Bella. I'm so hard and you feel so good around me. So hot and wet. Can you feel it?"

"Yes!" she choked out. "More. I miss your cock inside me."

Fuck me. "I miss it, too, baby. I can't wait to be with you again. To feel you under me and around me and have you screaming my name. It's my name you scream, baby. Mine."

"Fuck. Yes, Edward, all yours." And then she did. She called my name as her body began to convulse. So fucking beautiful. I barely noticed my own orgasm I was so caught up in the way her body moved, her skin flushed and her lips fell open on my name. I felt my release and it was good but it was nothing compared to seeing her like that.

Bella giggled when she focused again. "You look like you saw a ghost."

I shook my head. "Way, way better, baby. I'm going to have that image of you in my mind until I can see you like that again in person." A thought occurred to me. "Um, am I going to be able to stay with you over graduation? I can get a hotel but…"

Bella smiled brightly. "My father knows we just spent a week together and that I'm going to Europe with you. I don't think he can protest you spending the weekend at my place."

"Well, it's one thing for him to know and entirely another thing for him to see, love." And for me to face him, of course.

"I'll protect you."

I snickered. "Don't think I won't put you in front of me and into the line of fire if necessary."

Bella giggled. "How very chivalrous of you." She pulled my t-shirt back on, much to my disappointment. I grabbed some Kleenex and cleaned up my stomach before pulling my boxers back on.

"Okay, we'll both hide behind Emmett."

She grinned. "That sounds like a good plan. Throw him to the wolves."

"A bullet wound could only increase his legend."

"Maybe Dad could shoot him in the ass so the next time he moons the paparazzi he'll have something interesting for people to talk about."

I laughed. "I'm going to tell Em you said his ass alone wasn't interesting enough."

Bella giggled. "Rose was both amused and angry about the whole thing. She said something about tanning that white hide of his and I shut the rest out."

Lord. "Good plan, baby. I don't know about those two."

"Their room won't be near ours in the hotel, will it?"

"God, no. We'll put them at least three floors away."

She giggled. "Good. I really can't wait, you know?"

"Me either, baby. Almost to four weeks now. We'll get there."

"We just have to get through meeting the families first," she reminded me, as if I wasn't already sweating it.

"I'd go through it a million times to get to be with you."

She smiled. "I love you, Edward. Thanks for making everything better. Nobody cheers me up the way you do."

"That's my job from now on, baby. Day or night, if you need me, call. I'm going to have a PA who will be in charge of monitoring my phone at all times. He'll put you through to me, no matter what."

"Edward, you don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do. You're the most important thing in my life, Bella. So if you need me, I'm there."

"Well, same goes for me. If you wake up lonely in that big hotel bed, you call me no matter how late it is here. I'd rather talk to you than sleep any day."

I smiled. "Well get through it, Bella. Just don't forget to send me your _Words."_

She laughed. "Never. They brought you to me after all."

"And that's why it'll always be my favorite game in the world."

Bella grinned. "Maybe you should become their spokesman."

It wasn't the worst idea. "I could, but I'm not sharing our story with the world. That's ours, baby."

"Yes, it is. All ours and you're all mine."

"Always." It was time to let her go if I was going to get any sleep before my flight. I hated doing it though. "I'll call you when I touchdown in Berlin, baby."

"Good. Be safe and I'll see you soon."

"See you soon, baby. I love you." I waited, watching as she picked up the computer, her beautiful face filling the screen. She gave me one more smile and told me she loved me before disconnecting. The look in her eyes and the smile on her face was something I was going to carry with me always while we were apart. One month. No matter how busy the days and nights were, I'd miss her with everything I had.


	41. Chapter 41

**Made it to Berlin, baby. I can't wait until you're here with me.**

The flight had been long and miserable. Well, I'd been miserable, I guess. It seemed with every mile I got further away from Bella, the worse I felt about it. My brother, who was generally an affable sort, was pretty surly and grumbly himself. Of course, part of that could be because he'd had to accompany Mom to the charity dinner the night before, and she'd let him know just what she thought about seeing his ass on TMZ. Having your mother see your ass would throw anybody off their game.

It was about three AM in Berlin which meant it was seven PM at home. Bella responded quickly.

_I'm glad you got there safe and sound. I can't wait until I'm there with you!_

Four more weeks. I was trying to be patient. By the time we got to our hotel and checked in, it was after four AM, but I wasn't that tired. It was going to take days to get used to the time difference, days I didn't really have since shooting started on Monday. I lay alone in the dark for awhile before I gave in and called her.

"Edward? Hi!" She sounded so thrilled to hear from me that it made me smile. Well, just hearing her voice did that if I was honest.

"Hi, sexy. I miss you."

"I miss you, too. Isn't it around five in the morning over there?"

I laughed and rubbed my burning eyes. "Yeah, but you know I'm still on Pacific Time. I can't sleep yet."

Bella giggled. "Neither can Emmett. He called Rose about half an hour ago."

I smiled. "Well, at least I held out longer than he did, right?"

"It's not a contest." Sure, he'd just give me shit if I appeared more whipped than he did. I knew my brother.

"How was your day?" This bed was big and comfortable and I couldn't wait to have her next to me on it. Well, next to me, on me, below me, everywhere really.

"Nothing exciting. Did some studying and waited to hear from you. Oh, and I talked to my dad."

Uh oh. "Tell me there's no new gossip."

That brought the giggles again. "About you? No, not so much. He did mention the reprobate's butt and possibly booting it, but there's nothing new about you."

Thank God. "Good, that's Emmett's problem."

"Yeah. I told him about Mom."

Of course. I felt a spurt of anger shoot through me. "I bet that made him angrier than Emmett's ass did."

"Yeah, I'd say so. Of course Rose took it even worse." She laughed. "She got on her computer. I think she was looking for that Paul guy so she could tell him just how far away from thirty Mom really is. I told her to leave it alone, though. It's not worth it."

No, but it would feel damn good to see that woman feel just a tenth of the pain that Bella did over her treatment over the years. I'd never let her hurt her again though. "No, it's not. You'll have all the mother you need with my mom, I promise."

Bella chuckled. "Tell me about it. We sent her a thank you card and some pictures of us in our robes and socks holding the champagne and chocolate. Hopefully she can see just how much we love our presents."

"She knows, baby. She's glad you liked them. Don't be surprised if something else shows up before it's all said and done."

"Well, that might not be a bad thing. We've already been in the chocolates and one of the bottles of Cristal. We're rationing though."

I laughed. "I'll send you more if Mom doesn't." That reminded me. "You've got something coming from me this week."

"I do? What?" she asked, sounding excited.

"You'll see when it gets there." My eyes were getting heavy. "I'm going to try to sleep, baby."

"You do that. I'll talk to you soon. Sweet dreams."

"Only if they're of you."

"Always. Goodnight, Edward."

"Night, Bella." I disconnected and let myself sink into sleep. Not long now.

Xoxoxoxox

"You have one very important job, Martin." I handed him my phone. "If any calls or texts come in from Bella, you're to give me the phone as soon as possible. Not when the cameras are rolling, but as soon as they're off. Do you get that?"

He swallowed nervously. "Yes, sir."

Christ, did I sound like an asshole actor? I didn't want to sound like an asshole. "She's special and I need to be informed anytime a call comes through."

His brown eyes were earnest as he nodded. "I'll make sure of it."

A thought hit me as I was getting ready to head to my mark. "Her name needs to be kept quiet, so just tell me I have an important call and that's that. It's…she's..." I didn't have the words for what she was. Everything really.

"I understand, sir."

Lord. "It's Edward, not sir. Thanks for your help." I handed him my phone. "Priority one, okay?"

"Okay, si…Edward."

"Cullen, you're needed on the set!" someone shouted. It was time. I met Martin's eyes one more time and headed out to start filming.

Xoxoxoxox

_I can't believe you sent me more shirts!_

I grinned at the text message that Martin had hurriedly shown me. He was doing exactly as I asked. I took the phone and started typing.

**I didn't want you to forget what I smelled like, so they're all gently worn.**

I hadn't worn them for hours or anything. I'd had the idea right before I left and thrown a bunch on and packed them in a box. Mom had agreed to mail them for me.

_You know I would have been happy with just a t-shirt or two, right? You didn't have to send these expensive shirts._

Please. I had a billion.

**I like the thought of you in nothing but one of my button downs, baby. Let me have that mental image.**

"Cullen, we need you in five." I nodded and got ready to get back to it. The first three days of filming had gone relatively well so far.

_Don't you want more than a mental one?_

Always, but…and then I couldn't think, couldn't speak and couldn't move because there was my girl wearing my white button down, open, barely covering her breasts, tons of white, sexy skin on display. Holy fucking shit.

**How am I supposed to go jump from a burning building when I've got a hard on the size of California, woman? What if Martin had seen that? I'd have had to kill him.**

I saved and emailed the picture to myself before deleting our chat thread. Martin was not allowed to see my girl like that. She was mine.

_I wouldn't have sent it had we not been texting at the moment, silly boy. I know better. I'm sorry about the hard on though. How about I take care of that later? Call me when you get to the hotel._

"One minute!"

**Count on it, sexy. Back to filming. Put something on until I call. Then you can model that for me again. You're so gorgeous. I love you.**

Put it away and get to work, Cullen. She'll be with you soon.

Xoxoxoxoxox

"You are a naughty girl, Bella Swan."

"Only for you, Edward Cullen." The sexy purr in her voice was my undoing. Well, that and the fact that she was back in that white shirt of mine.

"You should only ever wear that, baby."

"What, this old thing?" She ran her fingers over the lapel. I was salivating. It was midnight, I had to be up in five hours and all I wanted was her.

"Don't think I won't be on the net ordering those in bulk, Bella."

She giggled and blew me a saucy kiss. "Go for it. You look tired."

"Never too tired for you."

"You need your sleep."

"You're what I need."

She smiled and pushed the shirt open, letting me see her beautiful breasts. "I'm all yours. Show me how you need me."

I was already naked, so I just moved the computer and she licked her lips when my cock came into view.

"Very nice." I smirked at that and she giggled. "Get your lotion. Or my lotion."

I held up the bottle, which was right by the bed where it belonged. I squirted some into my hand and waited. "Touch yourself. Pretend it's me touching you."

So fucking hot. I slowly worked my dick while Bella watched hungrily. "Aren't you going to touch yourself, baby?"

She shook her head. "No, this is all about you. You need to relax before bed."

That didn't seem right. "Bella…"

"You'll take care of me over the weekend. Please, Edward. Let me see you."

God, she was sexy and beautiful and amazing. It didn't take long; just looking at her was enough to set me off. I came hard and she looked like the one who was completely satisfied. "Thank you, baby."

She grinned. "Anytime, handsome. Get some sleep, now. You've gotta be sharp for tomorrow."

"I'll be relaxed for sure. I love you."

"I love you, too. Goodnight."

Xoxoxoxox

I'd been slacking on my game playing since I hit Germany, but I was determined to keep it up because God knew the game would forfeit and she'd win. Even though we weren't keeping score, I wasn't going to forfeit again.

FINE huh? That worked. My girl was very fine.

_I don't think those flimsy desks in my lit classes could take us, but it'd be worth a few splinters to try. Or we could just break into one of Rose or Alice's labs and use something there. Those tables are mighty sturdy. You could fuck me as hard as you wanted on one. Was that a little too forward?_

As if my girl could ever be too forward for me?

_I wish I had been there to help you with your not so little problem during your interview, baby. But then she'd be writing something entirely different and more than a little X-rated. Penthouse might pick up that article._

Just the thought of what we'd do to inspire an article had me rock hard. The girl killed me.

_I think that song works for us very well. I don't know that that's one I'd want our parents and children to know about someday though. We'll keep that between us. Along with Closer by Nine Inch Nails and Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye and Do Me by Bel Biv Devoe among others. Oh, and don't forget Freak Me._

I should absolutely make a sex mix on my iPhone. It'd be dangerous to listen to alone, though.

_Do you know that you made me all horny and worked up only to make my heart melt with your sweet words? I love your vows, now and the one that'll come one day in the not so distant future. I'll love you forever too, handsome. See you very soon._

God, baby, I hope it's soon. We have all the time in the world, I know that, but I just want to start our life together as soon as I possibly can. But I don't want to rush you either. It was hard to know what kind of balance to strike between supporting Bella and begging her to just stay at my side until the end of time. It was wrong to want that, probably, but I did. I also wanted her to be happy and to get the job of her dreams if she wanted it. I loved what I did, mostly, and I wanted her to as well.

Whoa, got off track there. I shook my head and tried to focus. My letters were pretty atrocious. The closest thing I could find to being sexy was to play LEG off of FINE. She did have great legs.

**Baby, don't you know you could never be too forward with me? Bring on every dirty thought, naughty picture and sexy fantasy you can conjure and I'll take it all, happily. If anything, I'll beg for more. I'm not too proud to admit that either.**

**You know, you mentioning Penthouse articles got me wondering just what kind of sexy scenario you could come up with. I bet you could destroy those naughty fantasies that people write into the magazine with. At least, I hear that's what's in there. I've never read it, personally. *grins innocently***

**Your song list is quite impressive. Do you have those on your iPod baby? Do you listen to them and think of me? Tell me all about it!**

**You know, all your sexually charged words turn me on, but even more so, your promise of forever is what does it for me. You know that I want that, as soon as is humanly possible, right? I'll take you today, tomorrow, next year or in a few, whenever you want, as long as you're mine. Love you, so much.**

It better not be a few, though. I nearly typed that and figured I'd best not. We'd get there, whenever she was ready.

Xoxoxoxoxox

_Sven has hands that are pure perfection. I think they should be bronzed._

I scowled at my phone. Bella was getting felt up by some guy with perfect hands while I was in bed alone. There was nothing right about this scenario.

**I'll have all of Sven bronzed just like Han Solo was. Then those hands will be nowhere near my girl.**

I waited impatiently for her to reply. Maybe Sven's hands were bringing her too much pleasure. Fucking Swedish masseuse.

_Oops, maybe I got that wrong. Was Sven a girl or a guy? It's hard to tell, to be honest. She has very mannish hands. I'll call her female Sven._

Hmm, a mannish woman. She probably wanted Bella, too.

**I don't know if that's actually any better. She's got that sexy body of yours under her hands; I know she's thinking about all the things she'd like to be doing to you. Just like I am.**

My mind was filled with images of a naked, oiled up Bella lying on a table as I slicked my hands down her body. That might just be one more scenario we'd have to add to the fantasy bank.

_And now I'm not enjoying my massage anymore. Thanks a lot. I'm totally clenching in case hands wander anywhere they're not supposed to be._

I laughed my ass off at that image.

**You started it by taunting me with Sven, love.**

One week down. That was something. Filming was going pretty well, though Em had nearly blown his ass up yesterday. Of course he just laughed it off. Rose wouldn't be too thrilled, I imagined.

_Okay, maybe I started it, but you ruined my massage! Not fair, Cullen._

Uh oh. I was in trouble.

**Relax and enjoy, Bella. How about I promise to give you a massage after we get back to Germany?**

Like that would be a sacrifice for me.

_Oooh, I like the sound of that. Will you be my own personal Sven?_

I laughed. Looks like I should get to work on a Scandinavian accent now.

**I will, but I make no promises about wandering hands. Are you going to clench when I touch you, Bella?**

She made the sexiest little sounds when I rubbed her down in the cabin. They went straight to my dick. I had resisted taking her then and there, but I wasn't going to resist next time.

_I think you could work out all my knots and make me relax in all sorts of wonderful and innovative ways, Edward. There will be no clenching, except when you make me come._

Fuck. I groaned. God I wanted her. Three more weeks.

**Then there will be a lot of clenching, baby, but the good kind. I can definitely deal with that. I can't believe you're texting about me making you come while some woman has her hands all over your naked body.**

And I was going to have to get out the lotion again. The images I had were too much to overcome.

_I had to find a way to enjoy my massage again. Thoughts of your hands did it. You should be honored._

Oh, I was. Before I could reply, another text came through.

_I'm off to have something called a seaweed wrap. It sounds disgusting but I'm assured it'll feel good. You'd feel better. Talk to you soon, handsome. Love you._

Yes, she would. In the meantime I had a cock to relieve.

**Damn right I'll feel better than some slimy seaweed, woman. I'm off to come alone while you get felt up by random women (they better all be women). I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you, too.**

Xoxoxoxoxox

"This is one heck of a wakeup call." I smiled sleepily at Bella. FaceTime with my girl at five AM was an unexpected, but welcome surprise.

"Oh, God, is it too early? You told me you got up at five so I just thought I'd start your day off with a hello before ending mine. Go back to bed. I'm sorry."

I rubbed at my eyes and laughed. "No, it's not too early. And I do get up at five." Just then, the alarm went off on my nightstand. "See? You were much better to wake up to than that evil thing." I smacked it off and smiled at her. "Morning, baby. Or I guess I should say, goodnight."

Bella giggled. "In a bit. I thought it'd be nice to end the day with you, and let you start your day with me."

It definitely was. "The only thing I'd like more would be if you were actually in bed with me," I assured her.

She grinned. "But then you wouldn't want to get up and head to work."

That was very true. But I'd do it happily, knowing she'd be there when I got back. "Leaving you would be hard, but coming back to you would make it all worth it."

Bella smiled beautifully. "You're even perfect at five in the morning. It's sick, but I love it."

I laughed. "Perfect? My hair's sticking up in about twenty different directions and I'm sure I've got sleep wrinkles and whatnot."

She shook her head. "You're sexy and I want to tackle you and take you."

Like I'd ever resist that. "Anytime, baby, though I doubt you'd do it at five in the morning here. Tackling me at what, nine at night is a lot more fun."

"Tackling you at any time is fun."

Images of her straddling me and my hands on her ass were definitely making the morning much more fun. "You make it that way." I yawned and stretched. Bella let out a soft moan. "What?"

"You. You're so gorgeous. All those rippling muscles and your tousled hair. I want to bite you."

"Someone's in a mood." And I really fucking loved it. I hated that I had to get up and get around and leave her though.

Bella shrugged. "I wasn't until you answered the phone looking all rumpled and cute. Now I want you."

I laughed. "I want you too, baby. Two weeks now."

"Two weeks too long. But we're getting there, that's all that matters."

"I know. It'll be here before you know it."

"I can't wait." She blew me a kiss. "Go start your day, handsome."

"Go end yours, beautiful."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Xoxoxoxoxox

SORE? What exactly was she playing that for? I opened up the _Words_ message box to see.

_You told me to bring the dirty, naughty and suggestive thoughts. I could have played SOAR or ROAR but I thought I'd play SORE because that's exactly how I intend for both of us to be after I get the chance to jump that sexy body of yours when I see you next._

Hell yes. I'll take that kind of sore any day.

_Not too much time left and I think it's clear that I'm getting a little antsy for you, handsome. I'm not quite sure if I'm going to be able to control myself in front of our parents. Maybe we could find a reason to leave them alone and run an errand. I'm in dire need of milk, or butter, or maybe we should just call it protein. You're perfect for my diet._

Fucking hell. Maybe I could pay Emmett a billion dollars to cause some sort of distraction so I could get Bella alone when we got to her place. It would absolutely be worth everything I owned or would ever own to have at her.

_Don't you rich guys have the ability to make time leap ahead or something? What's the point of all that money if you can't build a time machine? Tell Trump to stop buying new hair pieces and firing people and to get on that, won't you?_

I laughed. Donald Trump making another appearance in our _Words_ conversation? I loved her bringing up our old talks, back before I knew and loved her, when she was an intriguing mystery that I was dying to solve.

_Alright, I'm through being silly. Just know that I'm naked, horny and in much need of my boyfriend. I hope you're reading this after you're done filming for the day. If not, sorry! I'll make it up to you. Love you!_

It was a damn good thing that I'd waited to check in until I got back to the hotel. I flipped back and snickered when I saw I could play SIZE and put the Z on the triple letter score. That would piss her off, and tease her a bit more. Yes, I was an evil bastard but she'd been a beautiful distraction more than once herself.

**I figured my SIZE would make you plenty SORE. Yes, I'm a dick; you can go ahead and say it. But you started it with all this talk about attacking me when I get there and us having to find a way to ditch our families so we could get some immediate alone time. I'm not gonna lie, I totally tried to figure out how to bribe my brother to distract them all.**

**I don't think he'll go for it, though. He's a bit worried about your father himself and of course our Mom scares the hell out of him. I'd risk Mom's wrath for a shot at you, but I don't know about your Dad's. He has a gun, after all. And he could use it on me and trump up some charges so that he didn't get in trouble. That's scary.**

**I've got plenty of protein for you, baby. Just letting you know that.**

**Us rich guys keep wasting money on frivolous things like hair pieces (did you really think my hair was real? Please!) instead of on what really matters. The next time there's a meeting of The Rich Guy's Club, I'm going to demand we start immediate work on the time machine. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes and then we can get back to important things like luxury automobiles and alimony payments.**

I killed myself. I was laughing my ass off.

**Fortunately I read this after filming was done for the day. That's mainly because you've been driving me crazy with your innuendo and desire for me for the past couple of weeks. I'm burning to touch you, love, and I don't think I'll give a damn who's in the room when I get my hands on you. So what if I get shot? I'll die a happy man. Love, your soon to be dead, one way or another, boyfriend.**

Xoxoxoxoxox

"Hi, beautiful." I smiled when Bella came on Skype. We didn't have long this time, but I'd needed to see her. It was just that simple.

"Hi." Uh oh. She wasn't smiling.

"What's wrong, baby?"

"I did something stupid."

My stomach dropped. Shit. What? "What did you do?"

Tears were in her eyes and I was freaking out. "What, baby?"

"I went on the net."

What? My heart, which I was pretty sure had stopped, started beating again. "And?"

"They're calling me a whore and a bitch and all this other stuff."

What? Who? I'd kick their asses. "Who, Bella? Who made you sad?"

"Your fans! Why would they say that? They don't know me."

Oh, fuck. God damn it. "Bella, you're right. They don't know you. They're just jealous and lashing out. This is why I don't look myself up on the internet."

She wiped at a tear that had escaped. I wanted to punch those faceless jerks that had made her cry. "I know. I knew better. I just got curious. The tabloids have been pretty quiet other than that picture they posted of you with that girl."

I rolled my eyes. "Ah yes, my torrid exchange with the woman who brought me coffee on the set. You know not to listen to a word of that stuff, baby."

"I know. And I don't believe any of it, but it hurts that people would say that about me."

"I'm sorry, love. If I could do anything to make it stop, I would." Powerless. I was completely powerless and I hated it.

"There's nothing you can do." Bella smiled and wiped at her cheeks. "Rose logged on and went off on them, though."

I raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't surprise me. What did she say?"

"She called them all jealous bitches who weren't fit to breathe the same air as me and told them to go back to masturbating to your picture because that's the closest they'd ever get to you."

I laughed, both amused and disgusted. "That's pretty gross, baby. I don't want to think about that."

She giggled. "You know it happens." I glared and made her laugh again. "She also called them pathetic excuses for human beings and said even if you weren't in love with me; you'd never be interested in people who blindly hated the person you loved most in the world."

That Rose. "She's damn right and pretty fucking awesome. If I knew who they were, I'd tell them to their faces, baby."

Bella shook her head. "I doubt they'd hear a word you said and I'd rather not go to jail for beating them off of you."

"I'm sorry, love. I really wish you hadn't seen that."

She sighed. "No, it's good that I know, I guess. You told me it wasn't going to be easy and they don't even know who I am yet. I can only imagine that it'll get worse when they do."

Damn it. I needed to be holding her right now. "If they're truly my fans, they'll be happy to see how happy I am with you. If not, then fuck them, baby. They can't touch us if we don't let them. And I'm not going to let them."

She smiled shakily. "I know you won't. And I won't look again. Rose already banned me from the internet."

I laughed. "I don't know that you need to go that far, but please know that they don't speak for the majority of my fans. There are always extremes."

"I know. Some of them really want you with Jane or back with Irina." She laughed at the face I made to that news. "I guess they don't find some nobody to be a good match for you."

I glared. "Don't you dare call yourself some nobody. You're everything to me. You know that."

She sniffled. "I know. I never for one second doubted you, Edward."

"Good, baby. All we need is each other, right? And maybe Rose and her internet rages."

Bella laughed. "She created a screen name called ScalpingYouAll."

I snickered. "She is one scary woman."

"Yep. Emmett will get excited by that one."

I groaned. "I don't want to think about it."

"What do you want to think about?"

"How about the fact that in three days I'm going to have you in my arms again?"

Bella's beautiful smile lit her whole face this time. "I can't wait."

"Me either, baby. Are you counting them down?"

She laughed. "I've actually been doing it all along. I had a secret calendar that I crossed off at the end of each day." She was blushing. I had a feeling I might know why.

I grinned at her. "And just what calendar might that be?"

She bit her lip and avoided my eyes. "Baby?"

"It might be a calendar of yours," she admitted.

I snickered. "It might be, huh?

"Well, I figured it made sense to use a you calendar to count down the days until I saw you again."

I couldn't hide my smirk. "It makes perfect sense. You know what?"

"What?" she asked, still blushing.

"I'm a little offended that I don't have a Bella calendar that I could have counted the days down on. We might need to do something about that."

Bella laughed. "It's not like you don't have plenty of pictures of me. You could have one made."

I grinned. "I could. I think we should make one together."

She shook her head. "Oh hell no, I'm not making a naked calendar for you."

"I didn't say it had to be naked, you were the one that went there." But of course, I'd been thinking it.

"I know how your mind works, pervert."

That she did. "That's because your mind goes right into the gutter along with mine most of the time."

"That's true." She smiled. "Thanks for making me laugh again."

"I already told you that was my job now. I take it very seriously. I love to hear you laugh."

"I love to hear you laugh, too. I love you, period."

"I love you." And by God, the world was going to know it.

Xoxoxoxoxox

**We're on the way! The plane touched down five minutes ago.**

I felt like a little kid, but I couldn't help it. I wanted nothing more than to be with my girl right now. I practically ran into the terminal and gave my parents the quickest hugs ever. "Anxious to see your girl, are you?" my dad asked with a grin.

"Let's go!" Emmett shouted. Dad threw our bags in the trunk and Emmett got into the driver's seat. My parents didn't put up a protest and I sure wasn't about to argue. The sooner I got there, the better. I was so close to her I could practically feel it.

_I can't wait until you get here._

**It won't be long, baby. Emmett's driving.**

Mom was chattering away and asking questions about Berlin. Em was answering and I was grunting because I really couldn't focus on anything right now. It had been a very long month away. We'd survived, but I missed her so much it was ridiculous.

_Tell him not to get pulled over. Dad would not be impressed._

I laughed and shook my head.

**Are you kidding? I'm not telling him anything that might make it take longer to get to you. We're nearly there. Can you feel it?**

It was excitement, a pull, just an overwhelming need that I couldn't even begin to describe.

_Yes. I'm having trouble not ripping the door off the hinges and just running in the general direction of the airport. You'd see me at some point, right?_

She was as anxious as I was. Of course she was.

**Yes, but you'd probably be on the wrong side of the road and then I'd have to throw myself out of a moving vehicle, which might cause me injury but I'd totally do it to get to you faster.**

Emmett turned and I saw it. Bella's apartment complex dead ahead. Thank God.

_No injuries allowed. I need you healthy for what I have in mind._

Damn right she did. I was out of the car the instant it stopped and I didn't bother with my bags, my parents or anything. I ran right up those stairs and knocked on the door. It wasn't more than a second later that the door opened and I could breathe again. Her breathtaking smile lit up her face and she threw herself into my arms. I was holding her, at last, and kissing her, pushing her against the door and just feeling that completeness that I felt only when I was with her. I needed her, more than anything. "I love you," I murmured over and over as I kissed her cheeks, her nose, her jaw and then back to her lips. She smelled and felt wonderful. God, I'd missed her.

"I love you, too. So much. Touch me," she replied, locking her legs around me. Fuck. I devoured her lips and rocked against her.

"Ahem." What was that? I couldn't really focus over the blood roaring in my head and rushing down to my cock. It wasn't enough. There were clothes in our way. I needed her naked, now.

"Excuse me. Are you going to release my daughter or do I have to arrest you for public indecency?"

Oh, fuck.


	42. Chapter 42

Of all the ways I'd imagined meeting Bella's father, having her pressed against the door, wrapped around me while I sported the hard on of the century hadn't been on the list. Which was actually kind of a surprise since I knew the two of us so well. I really should have figured it would go down like this. Up like this? Whatever. I froze, unsure what the hell to do. I knew I didn't want to turn around, but I could hardly stay here like this until he left, could I? Maybe he wouldn't shoot me with my back turned. Forensic evidence like that wouldn't be ignored, right? He could only kill me if I was facing him and make it so he wasn't charged with murder. Right. I was staying here then, even though I wanted to die of embarrassment.

"Is it really public indecency when they're technically inside the apartment?" an all too familiar voice asked. Bella's gaze shifted over my other shoulder and she suddenly looked mortified. "And do you have jurisdiction in these parts?"

Mom. I closed my eyes and shifted as Bella's vice grip around my waist loosened. I lowered her to the floor and she immediately buried her face in my neck. "I'm so fucking embarrassed," she whispered against my skin.

I ran my fingers over her back and braced myself as I turned to face our audience, keeping Bella in my arms. Mom and Dad wore equal looks of amusement, Emmett wasn't even bothering to hide the fact that he was laughing and Bella's father looked, well, I wasn't sure what he looked like. His face was red; much like his daughter's was at that exact moment. His eyes, eerily like hers, were sharp on my face and his lips were set in stern lines.

"Damn, bro, and here I thought I was the one that was going to get the cop stare!" Emmett boomed. "Thanks for taking the heat off." Charlie Swan's gaze cut to him and he shrank back and held up his hands. "Don't look at me, I didn't do anything."

Bella's father's moustache twitched. "That's probably because Rose isn't here at the moment. I really wouldn't put it past you, otherwise."

"Hey!" Emmett protested, but then he grinned brightly. "You're probably right, though."

"I know I am. Bella, are you going to hide in that boy's chest all day or are you going to introduce us properly?"

My girl sighed but pulled away from me and turned to face our families. I slid my arms around her waist, supporting her the only way I could at the moment. "Dad, this is Edward Cullen. Edward, this is my dad, Charlie Swan."

I wasn't sure what in the hell to do, but I reached out a hand to shake anyway. He looked at my hand, then my face, then Bella, then at my parents and brother, before he took it and shook, squeezing a little harder than was strictly necessary. I didn't flinch or give him the satisfaction of reacting. "It's nice to meet you."

"Wish I could say the same," he muttered, his gaze on my left hand, which was holding on to Bella's hip. Well, too bad, I wasn't letting go. I couldn't stop touching her. I was physically incapable of it after all this time apart.

"Well, I for one am delighted to finally meet you, Bella." There was my mom, stepping in and ignoring the tension. She stepped forward and opened her arms. Much to my surprise, Bella launched right into them.

"I'm so sorry that you saw…" she started but my mother shushed her and patted her back.

"Hush, sweetheart. What I saw was what every mother wants to see for her son. He's in love and completely loved in return. I already knew, of course, but it's beautiful to see." She kept her eyes on Charlie as she stroked Bella's hair. "I'm just happy to finally meet you."

Bella smiled as she pulled back. "I'm happy to meet you, too. Edward talks about you all the time."

Mom laughed. "Oh, I'm sure he finds time to talk about a few other things as well." Jeez, Mom. Don't think about or mention other things. "Carlisle, say hello to Bella."

"Hi, Bella, it's nice to meet you." Dad took her hand and squeezed it. "Thanks for letting us come to your graduation. Neither of our boys went the college route, so we're happy to get to share in yours."

Bella blushed. "We're really glad you're here." She turned to her father, who was still giving me the stink eye. "The glaring man, as I'm sure you've deduced, is my father, Charlie Swan. Dad, this is Esme and Carlisle Cullen. And Emmett, of course."

"It's nice to meet you, Charlie." Mom took his hand and steered him away from the doorway. "We're just thrilled to meet your daughter. She's made Edward the happiest I've ever seen him." Like the pro she was, she had Charlie walking with her into the living room. The rest of us followed, Bella curled into my side again. "From everything he's told me about her, it's clear that you've raised a wonderful young woman on your own. I admire you for doing it all alone. Carlisle and I had our hands full with our two boys. I can't imagine dealing with one all by myself, even if Bella's an angel."

Charlie looked a little dazed as Mom all but pushed him onto the sofa and sat down next to him. I just had to stand there and admire her skill at commanding a room. "You must be Sue. I'm Esme Cullen, it's a pleasure to meet you." She reached across Charlie and shook hands.

Sue Clearwater was a pretty woman with black hair and black eyes and what appeared to be Native American heritage. She smiled at my mother. "The pleasure is mine. It was kind of you all to travel so far to come to Bella's graduation."

My mother waved a hand at that. "As if we'd be anywhere else? Carlisle, come sit with us." Dad shook Sue's hand and sat next to my mother. There was one spot left on the loveseat and of course Emmett plopped down there next to Alice. I didn't know what to do. Bella and I could sit on dining room chairs but then I couldn't touch her like I needed to. She tugged me over to a bean bag that was lying next to the entertainment center. Good enough. I plopped down and she sat next to me. I wanted her to lean against my chest between my legs but I figured we better not push it, so I settled for putting my arm around her. She rested her head on my shoulder and twined her fingers with my free hand.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. I'm Alice!" She bounced up from her seat and gave both my parents a hug. "Thank you so much for our gift baskets, they were incredible!"

My mom laughed as she hugged her back. "We're so glad you liked them. My boys tell me you're going to be a nurse."

Alice practically glowed as she sat back down next to Emmett. "I am! In fact, I just got the best news! I got hired for the internship at Seattle General! I'll be starting in August!"

"That's great," my father told her. "It's a fine hospital and I'm sure you'll do well there. Do you have a specialty that you'd like to get into?"

"Alice is very interested in pediatrics," my brother supplied, a huge grin on his face. "She has a real thing for adolescents, don't you, Alice?"

She punched him, which of course had no effect on him. "Shut up! I do not!"

"That's not what I hear." He poked her side. "How many proms have you been to since I saw you last?"

"You're such an asshole." Then she seemed to remember our company. "Oops, I'm sorry, he's just…"

"I get it," my mother told her, shooting my brother a dirty look. "Emmett, knock it off."

"What does he mean about prom?" Charlie asked, tearing his eyes away from me and Bella and focusing on Alice for the first time.

"Uh, nothing. He's just being a jerk," Alice supplied quickly.

"That's just how Emmett and Alice are, Dad," Bella told him. She smiled at my parents. "Are you sure you didn't have a daughter twenty-two years ago? These two fight exactly like siblings."

Dad laughed. "I worked a lot back then but I think I'd remember having a daughter, even a short one like Alice."

Mom chuckled. "You might have missed it, dear, but I wouldn't have. Emmett always wanted a little sister to tease. It looks like he's got one."

"I do." Em slipped an arm around her and grinned when she elbowed him. "Alice loves me."

"I do not. I tolerate you only for Bella and Rose's sake." She turned to my mom. "How did you end up with one good son and one annoying one?"

"Luck of the draw," my mom replied with a smile. "The good one has his not so good moments, though."

"Hey now, let's not mention those," I interjected. I was already worried that Charlie Swan might shoot me right between the eyes, so we didn't need to encourage him.

"It's just fortunate that I'm a decade older than the guys she goes for, or we'd have a true love triangle up in this place," Emmett announced, causing Alice to screech with rage. "I'd hate to cause a catfight between my Rosie and little Cher, though."

"Somehow, I don't think you'd mind," Charlie drawled. "Alice, what is this he keeps going on about? I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

"Emphasis on the word boy!" Emmett shouted.

"I hate you," she told him. "I don't have a boyfriend, Charlie. Just a friend. And he's perfectly legal, not that we're doing anything illegal. Emmett does the illegal things, not me."

"Hey, I'm reformed," he informed us all. "I haven't been in trouble in ages."

"If you define ages as about a hundred days, then I suppose that's true." Charlie shook his head as he turned to my mom. "My heart about stopped when I did a run on your son and found out he'd been arrested five times. I was relieved when I realized I was looking at the wrong E Cullen."

Oh, shit. Mom's eyes narrowed and Emmett shifted, putting Alice directly in her line of fire. "Five times? Where did the other two times come from, Emmett? And why am I just finding out about this now?"

"It was nothing, Mom. All charges dropped. Hardly worth mentioning," he replied desperately, holding Alice in place so she'd provide a shield if needed. She struggled fruitlessly as she giggled; delighted that Emmett was getting some payback, no doubt.

"Hardly worth mentioning? I think it's worth mentioning that you got arrested five times! What did you do, Emmett?"

"Nothing, that's why they let me go. It was a case of mistaken identity." Em's voice was desperate. I braced myself because I knew what was coming. Whenever he was in trouble, he deflected.

"Nobody in Hollywood ever mistakes your identity. What did you do?" she demanded, in the tone that meant business.

"Damn, I can see why you two are so afraid of her," Bella murmured. "I don't want to be on the other end of that look." It was a deadly one, green fire shooting at a shrinking Emmett. Bella's Dad looked thrilled with himself. My dad just looked resigned and Sue appeared to be confused. I couldn't blame her.

"It was nothing, Mom. The usual. A little matter of a fight, some destruction of property, all very minor things. And I didn't destroy any property. A chair may have gotten broken when I removed the person who was trying to hit me. I paid for it, no harm, no foul."

"You'll know harm and foul soon enough, boy," she muttered. "Why didn't they press charges?"

Emmett's blue eyes widened and he smiled. I was fucked and I knew it before he even opened his mouth. "Edward did some fast talking, signed some autographs, gave out some tickets to premieres and it was all good. He's my hero."

And it was the last time I would ever be. All eyes shifted to me and Bella whispered "Uh oh." She had that dead to rights.

"Your brother got arrested, twice, and you didn't tell me?" Mom asked, the fire aimed in my direction now. I thought about hiding behind Bella the way Emmett did Alice but I loved Bella too much to throw her to the wolves.

"At the time, I wanted to keep him alive. I'm regretting that now, though," I told her, glaring at my brother the whole time. He shrugged and mouthed sorry. "I promise you now that if he ever gets arrested again, I won't even bail him out, let alone get charges dropped."

"So you bribed an officer?" Bella's dad asked, sounding all scary again. Fuck my brother.

"No, sir. I just went down to bail him out and they started asking for autographs and things and I just gave them what they wanted all in the name of community spirit. I'm a big supporter of the police force."

Bella giggled at my ridiculous ass kissing and I squeezed her side. "Shut up, I'm trying not to die," I whispered.

Mom turned to Bella's father then. "And why, exactly, were you checking up on my son at all? What's he ever done? Isn't that an abuse of police powers?"

Oh shit. Charlie's jaw clenched. "He's dating my daughter. I had to check him out, make sure he didn't have some sordid past."

Mom's eyes narrowed. "And do you check out every single person Bella's dated, or did only my son get that treatment?" she demanded.

"Esme," Dad said, putting a hand on her shoulder to hold her back in case she decided to attack.

Charlie shifted in his seat and shot a pleading glance to Sue, who shook her head. "I told you it was a bad idea."

"Okay, so maybe I never did it before, but I should have and maybe she would have been spared the heartache the last jerk caused."

"Oh really? Did he have some hidden criminal past that would have clued you into the fact that he's a giant asshole who sleeps around?" Mom asked, smiling sweetly. She turned to Bella. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I'm not making light of it at all, it's just that I doubt police reports are that detailed."

Bella bit her lip but said nothing as her father squirmed. "No, but…"

"Well, then. If you want to know about Edward, you've only to pick up a magazine. No criminal checks are necessary. I'd say the same for my other son, as his exploits seem to be all over the news as well, but clearly he managed to hide a thing or two." She glared at Emmett again. "I can understand your need to protect your child. As I'm sure you've no doubt found, Edward had a rough go of it last year himself, but I'm not holding that against your daughter." Mom's tone was fierce and I felt all the love she had for me in her words.

"Yes, well, for what it's worth, Edward seems to be a stand up guy," he muttered. "I'll apologize for overstepping my boundaries."

Mom laughed, lightening the moment. "Oh, Charlie, I more than get it. She's your whole world."

Bella's dad blushed again. I chuckled. "I see where you get it from," I murmured to her. She poked my stomach and snuggled in closer. It was funny, I should probably be annoyed that our parents were talking about us and getting in each other's faces while we were sitting right here, but I wasn't. I didn't give a damn about anything so long as I got to hold Bella and be close to her.

"Yes, well." Charlie looked at me again. "I suppose that I can see what you were saying outside. It's clear that your son cares about Bella a lot."

"I do." I wasn't letting Mom confirm it. "I love her." Bella squeezed my hand. "All I want to do is make her happy."

"See to it that you do." He gave me a smile that had a bit of grimace mixed in but I was taking it.

"Aww, back off, Big Daddy Chief, he's mad for her." All eyes turned to Rose standing in the doorway weighed down with boxes of pizza and a couple of bags. "Don't you think I'd have kicked his ass to the curb by now if he wasn't perfect for her?"

Charlie's smile turned into a grin and he stood to help her at the same time that Emmett did. He shot a look at Em, who immediately backed away. I cracked up. I'd gotten some grudging support but it seemed that Emmett had some work to do. Charlie walked over to her and took the food, setting it on the bar before sweeping her into his arms. "Rose! Where have you been? We missed you!"

Rose grinned at us over his shoulder and wagged her eyebrows at Bella who just shook her head. "I had to fend off an asshole in the pizza place. It took longer to get out of there than I planned."

Charlie pulled back, a fierce look on his face. "Who hassled you?"

Rose laughed and kissed his cheek. "Nobody hassles me, Charlie. Don't you know that by now? There was just an annoyance I had to shake off." She mouthed something that looked suspiciously like Newton to Bella. She sighed and I figured I was right.

"Hey, Em, how about we go get some more pizza? I don't think there's nearly enough," I suggested.

"Edward, you don't need to," Bella tightened her grip on my hand.

"Yeah, why don't we?" He stood again and walked over to Rose. "Um, Chief, sir, officer, el presidente, would it be possible for me to maybe say hello to my girlfriend properly?"

I snickered at the plea in Emmett's voice. I wasn't the only one scared of Bella's father, clearly.

"Just what do you consider a proper greeting? What your brother pulled outside?" he demanded. Shit. I'd never live that down.

"Daddy, that was my doing," Bella interjected, which earned her a scorching look.

"No, sir. I don't consider that proper at all." Rose was giggling madly and had her head on Charlie's shoulder, enjoying Emmett's misery. I had to admit, I was as well. My parents and Sue were all laughing and Alice looked delighted.

"The last time you and Rose were interrupted sharing a greeting by a cop, you were a lot less proper as I recall," Alice pointed out. Emmett paled and Rose snorted with laughter.

"Damn, Alice, why do you have to bring that up?" he asked, sounding miserable.

"Maybe because you bring up Jasper every five minutes, you jerk! You had it coming."

"You did, Emmett," Mom agreed. Dad just shook his head.

"You know about this?" Charlie asked my parents.

Mom grinned and nodded. "He tells me pretty much everything, arrests notwithstanding."

"What did you do?" Charlie asked Emmett.

Ha, time for Emmett to sweat, the jerk. At least Bella had been fully clothed.

"Nothing, of course. A friendly officer of the law saw us parked in a state park after hours and asked us to move it along. We'd lost track of time." Emmett's eyes widened. "We weren't doing anything, just talking. Rose is a fascinating woman, which I'm sure you know."

"Oh, I do," Charlie agreed. Em's shoulders relaxed a bit. "And I also know more than I would care to about you, including what your bare ass looks like." All of us were laughing now and Em looked miserable. "So I doubt you were discussing the weather or politics or medicine with my brilliant Rose."

"Um, well…"

"It was a female cop, Charlie. He flirted with her right in front of me." Rose was grinning wickedly as Emmett looked like he wanted to fall through the floor.

"You flirted with another woman in front of Rose?" he asked, glaring.

"I was trying to keep us from being arrested! And your precious Rose nearly decked her! So you should be glad I did what I did."

Charlie's moustache twitched before he let out a big, belly laugh. "You managed to flirt your way out of a ticket and keep this one from assaulting an officer? Maybe you aren't completely useless after all."

Emmett's mouth opened and closed a few times. "Um, thanks, I think?"

"I'll still be keeping an eye on you," he warned. He released Rose and nudged her in Emmett's direction.

My brother, hilariously, held out a hand to Rose and bowed his head a bit. "What in the hell are you doing?" she asked, pulling him to her and giving him a hard, quick kiss. Emmett's wide blue eyes were on Charlie but he didn't appear to be put off by it.

They broke apart and he led Rose around the couch to my parents. "This is Mom and Dad," he told her. "Mama, Dad, this is my Rosie." They stood and Mom folded Rose into a hug. She was stiff for a moment but then put her arms around my mom.

"Thank you," she told her.

"Thank you for letting us be a part of something so major. We wouldn't miss it for the world." Mom released her and Rose gave Dad a hug as well. I swore I saw tears in her eyes when she let go but she smiled and blinked them away.

"We're excited that you're here. Sorry dinner's a bit late. And we did save one bottle of the Cristal if you'd like that instead of beer."

"We'll have whatever you're having," Mom told her.

"Rose, this is Sue." Charlie pulled the quiet woman to her feet.

Rose shook her hand and smiled. "It's nice to meet you. Alice says you're taking good care of the chief."

Sue smiled. "I do my best. He eats vegetables a few times a week now, at least."

Rose grinned. "Good. We want him around for a long time. Do onions and peppers on pizza count as a vegetable serving?"

Sue laughed. "No, but we'll make an exception tonight."

"Tonight, we party!" Rose declared, and we got down to it.

Xoxoxoxoxox

"So, are you girls all packed?" Mom asked as we settled in after dinner. I was hoping and praying this night was going to hurry up and end. Well, at least the parental portion of the night. I had plans for the rest of it. Naked plans.

"Mostly," Bella responded. "These two dragged me out shopping whenever we had a study break." Shopping? For what? Good things, I hoped.

Rose laughed. "There is such a thing as over studying, Bella. We needed some down time."

"Speaking of that…" Charlie muttered. "I have something for you. Let me just go get it."

I shot a look at Bella who shrugged. "Are we doing presents now? Carlisle!" Mom pointed and he headed out to get whatever they had. Well, shit. I had one thing on me; I would give her that now.

Charlie and Dad came in together, laughing and lugging a couple of bags between them. "Go ahead," Dad told Charlie.

He brought the suitcase over to Bella. "I thought that maybe you could use these for your vacation. They're supposed to be top of the line and they travel well and…" he broke off when Bella hugged him.

"Thanks, Dad. I can definitely use them."

"Good. Well, then. I'm not good at this present thing, so I figured I'd just let you guys get what you wanted." He unzipped the pocket and brought out three envelopes, handing one to each girl. "That's for your vacation, too. It's not a lot but I thought you girls could use some spending money over there."

He was surrounded, then, getting hugs and kisses from all three of them. "You shouldn't have, Dad."

"What? I'm going to send my girls to another country with no money?" He glanced at me and shrugged. "I know he has money but you shouldn't mooch off him and you should have some of your own anyway in case."

"You're too amazing, Charlie. You didn't have to get us anything," Rose told him.

"Of course I did." He waved that off, his face red. "Just have a good time and don't get in any trouble." He directed the last part to Emmett, who eyed him warily.

Mom laughed as she unzipped the bag Dad had brought up. "I'll start with Alice and Rose, since we got them something similar." She held out a wrapped package to both girls and they thanked her before tearing in.

"Holy shit, this is so cool!" Rose held the stethoscope aloft. "It's engraved. My name and the date of our graduation."

"Mine, too! Thanks so much, Mrs. Cullen. Mr. Cullen." Alice hugged them and Mom laughed.

"Please call me Esme. And you're very welcome. Rose, we have something else for you."

My dad handed Rose a black doctor's bag. It wasn't new, that much was clear. It had some scuffs and looked a little beat up. "This was my first medical bag. Esme gave it to me when I graduated med school and we wanted you to have it."

"Oh, my God," Rose managed, tears filling her eyes. "That's…nobody's ever given me anything that could possibly mean more. Thank you, so much." She threw her arms around my Dad and he smiled at my mom as he held her. Mom got the big hug next and she murmured in Rose's ear. Rose pulled back, smiling, and wiping tears away. "He told me you would be like this but I didn't really let myself believe it. You're amazing. Thank you."

Mom laughed and smoothed her hair away from her face. "You're part of our family now and we'll finally have another doctor in the family. We're thrilled." She turned to Bella and held out a package. "Happy Graduation, sweet girl."

I had no idea what Mom had gotten to hand her, though I did know the other part of the gift. Hopefully Bella would like it. I couldn't imagine her not, though. Bella opened the gift and let out a gasp. " _To Kill a Mockingbird?_ A first edition? It's beautiful." She held it chest like it was something precious. I had to smile at how cute she was. "This has to be worth a fortune. I can't…"

"You can and you will. This was actually my book. My favorite book. My parents gave it to me years ago and I'd like you to have it," my mother told her. Bella wrapped her arms around her and thanked her over and over. Then she did the same to my dad.

Mom smiled at her. "I wanted someone who loved to read as much as I did to have it, and the boys only bury their noses in scripts, girlie magazines or sci fi books." She wrinkled her nose as Bella laughed. "And if you need someplace to store it, well, we have a place for you." She handed Bella the picture of the library she'd spent the last month setting up in my house. "That's at Edward's house. It's from all of us, a place for you to read or work or whatever." There was a big, fancy desk, a fireplace, a sofa and some comfortable reading chairs. From the look on my girl's face, it was a fantasy come to life.

"You're giving me a room?" Bella asked, staring at all of us. I looked at her father who was actually smiling, thank God. I was afraid he'd hate the idea of her having a space at my house.

"A library. They're not all first editions, but I tried to get a good collection of classics and newer stuff," Mom told her. Bella gave more hugs to my parents.

"I love it! Look, Dad, a library!"

He nodded. "That's a pretty fancy room, Bells. It looks great." He looked at my parents. "Thank you. I…just, thank you."

Bella ran to me and hugged me tight. "You knew, all this time, and didn't tell me?"

I laughed. "What kind of a present would it be if I told you beforehand? Mom needed something to keep her occupied while we were gone. It was her idea, though, I just provided the room."

"You gave me so much more than that," she whispered before giving me a soft kiss. Damn. When were they leaving?

"Rosie, my gift for you is private," Emmett announced, earning a glare from Charlie again. I snickered. At least mine was appropriate for the room. "But I have one that I can show you now." He whipped his shirt off, which was a giant what the fuck? if ever were there was one, but then I saw it. He'd gotten a rose and her name tattooed over his heart. It was awesome, the red rose color really popped. The stem wrapped around a heart that had her name spelled out in black.

"Fuck," Rose managed, swallowing hard. "I, uh, love it Emmett."

"Put your shirt back on, boy, this isn't the gym," Charlie told him, scowling. Mom and Dad were laughing and shaking their heads and Sue looked a bit dazed. Oh boy.

"Sorry," he quickly pulled it on while Rose let out a little whimper that hopefully nobody but me and Bella heard. Yeah, the parents really needed to leave soon.

"Alice, Edward and I weren't sure what to get you and he wouldn't let me give you money for bail or diapers for your next suitor…" he grunted when she hit him. "So we got you this." He handed her the gift card. "I guess lots of nurses have problems with shoes and stuff, that's what Dad said, this is good place for those and well, you should be able to buy a fuckton for what we put on here."

Alice's gray eyes widened. "You got me something nice…that I can use?"

Emmett shrugged. "Well, yeah, I guess."

She leaped at him and he caught her as she gave him a big hug. "I still don't like you," she told him, making him laugh.

"I can tell."

"But I kind of love you in an annoying big brother way."

He grinned and ruffled her hair. "I knew you did! I told you that you loved me."

"And now I don't again." She tried to wiggle free but he held tight. "Damn it, I need to go hug the less annoying brother."

I grinned. "You can owe me one."

"Fine," she sighed and settled in to Em's arms.

"I guess I'm up." I reached in my pocket and brought out the jewelry box. Bella's eyes widened a bit when she saw it. I smirked. As if I'd propose in front of a room full of people? No, I had plans for that, but I was giving both of us a little time to just be before I sprang that on her. "For the teacher," I told her, handing it to her.

Her hands shook a little as she eyed the box but she took a breath and opened it. Her mouth dropped open in a little "oh" of surprise and then she smiled brightly. "I love it!" She kissed me and I kissed her back, not worrying about our parents.

"Excuse me, but can we see what in the hell you got her?" Rose demanded.

I chuckled as we broke apart. Bella pulled the necklace out of the box and held it up. "He got me an apple pendant." Rose snickered. I had a feeling she knew what an apple meant to us.

The guy at Cartier had been a bit amused by my request, but they'd put together a really cute red apple made from rubies and emeralds. I'd had it personalized with a B spelled out in diamonds on the apple itself.

"That's gorgeous!" Alice exclaimed.

"Really lovely," Sue agreed. Charlie just kind of grunted. My parents had picked it up for me, so they'd already seen it.

"Put it on me?" Bella asked. I brushed her hair aside and opened the little clasp, which is a pain in the ass, let me tell you. I managed to get it around her neck and on with minor struggling. At least I hadn't had to ask my Mom.

"I love it. I love you. Thank you." I kissed her again, quickly this time so nobody would yell at us.

"Well, on that note, I think we'd better head to the hotel." Mom, bless her, winked at me as she picked up her bag. "Charlie, Sue, are you ready to head out? I was thinking maybe we could grab a drink at the hotel?" My mother was a saint. Seriously. They needed to carve her picture into the moon or something.

"Sure," Sue agreed while Charlie looked a bit conflicted.

"Great!" My mom linked arms with her and steered her toward the door. "We'll be over bright and early so we can see you before the ceremony. Goodnight kids." She kissed every single one of us on the cheek.

Charlie stood and stared after his retreating girlfriend and my mother. "My wife doesn't take no for an answer. It's better to just come along."

Charlie glanced at me and Bella, then at Emmett and Rose. He sighed and squared his shoulders. "Okay. I guess, just, goodnight then." His eyes bore into mine one more time before he turned and headed toward the door.

"Poor Dad, hates that his baby girl is about to be ravished by the movie star," Rose said with a giggle when the door closed.

"Shut up, Rose," my girl muttered.

"Yeah, shut up Rose," Emmett told her, throwing her over his shoulder and smacking her on the ass. "What was up with you telling the Chief about the cop? He wanted to kill me! I get Alice throwing me under the bus, but you too, baby?"

"You need scaring now and then. Now take me into the bedroom and let me at my tattoo."

"Bye!" Emmett shouted, running out of the room.

Alice sighed. "Why does my room have to be next door to hers?" She glanced at us and smiled. "Not that yours will be any better, I imagine. Okay, I'm off to blare my stereo all night long."

I waved at her as I steered Bella toward her bedroom. She giggled and held me tight as she opened the door. "Alone at last," she managed as we shut it and I pushed her back against it, kissing her hard. She boosted herself up again and wrapped her beautiful legs around my waist.

"I think we've been here before," I murmured, making her laugh as I kissed her and streaked my hands over her body, squeezing her ass.

"Yes, hours and hours ago. Way too long."

"Way too long," I agreed, pulling her shirt over her head. Her bra followed quickly and there were those lovely breasts. "God I missed you. And this. And these." I cupped them as she held onto me with her legs.

"We all missed you, too. God, Edward, touch me."

"I am, baby. You should have told me your dad was here the last time."

She laughed. "I forgot. I couldn't think of anything but you."

I knew how she felt. I carried her over to the bed and laid her down. So fucking beautiful. She was half dressed, which I was about to rectify. I unzipped her jeans and tugged them and her underwear down. She wore nothing but the necklace I'd just given her. She was stunning. "I need you," I told her, tossing my shirt aside.

She sat up and unbuttoned my jeans. "I need you, too. So long. I've been dying for you to touch me all night, Edward. Please." God, like she had to ask? I yanked my jeans and boxers down and flung them somewhere, I didn't care where.

"God, yes," she said when she saw me naked. I lowered myself on top of her and kissed her. Her hands were in my hair and her body was moving under mine. "Now, damn it." Her legs opened and I was right there. I could feel the wet heat. I positioned myself at her entrance. The sound she made, the little whimper of pleasure and frustration turned me the hell on so much. I pushed inside her with one thrust, not taking my time. I couldn't. The past few hours had been torture, wanting and needing to touch her while I endured glares from her father and our families getting to know one another.

"Yes!" Bella yelled as I slid home. "Take me, Edward. Hard. Fast. Just, God, please."

"You don't have to ask me twice, baby." I pounded into her, hard and fast. I hooked her legs under my arms so I could go deeper, rocking her body back into the bed. She thrust her hips up toward mine; keeping pace, her breasts bouncing, and her mouth open in pleasure. So fucking gorgeous. I'd missed this, so much. I'd thought I could take my time and savor her but no, not this time. After, yes, after I'd be sweet and loving but now I had to have her. She was so wet and hot around me. It felt so good after five weeks of nothing but cold lotion and my own palm.

"Bella, so good," I told her, thrusting deeper. She called out my name and I knew she was close. I lifted her legs a little higher and hit home on my next stroke inside her. She shouted as she clamped around me. She felt amazing. I came hard as she gripped me tight. Thank God. I wasn't going to be able to last much longer. It had been too long.

She sighed and said my name softly as I lowered her legs and slipped out of her. "That was worth the wait," she told me, which made me grin.

"I'd wait forever for you, if I had to, but I'm so glad I don't."

She laughed. "Me too. I'm so glad you're here. And I'm so sorry about my dad."

I pulled her closer to me and met her beautiful eyes. "Baby, you have nothing to be sorry about. I'm pretty sure he doesn't hate me."

She grinned. "I know he doesn't. I don't think he doubts us now."

I shook my head. "I don't think my mom will let him."

"Your mom rocks. I can't believe she gave me her book."

I smiled. "She wanted you and Rose to feel like part of the family for real. And you are." And you will be. I'll make it official someday soon.

"And now I have a room at your place."

"They're all yours. Except Emmett's room. Stay away from there."

Bella giggled. "I will." She took my face in her hands and kissed me softly. "I love you. Always."

Heat blasted through me at her simple words. "I love you, too. I always will."

"I don't ever want to be apart from you again," she told me softly. "I hated it."

My heart was pounding. Now was the time. "Then don't. Stay with me."

Her eyes searched mine. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

I laughed. "If you think I'm saying that I want you to stay with me always, then yes. You can take classes online, or transfer to somewhere in Cali, or I can move here if you want to stay here." Her smile was growing brighter with each word I said. "I don't want to say goodbye or see you soon to you ever again, unless it's for the day when I leave to go to work and then come home to you at night. Or vice versa."

Bella laughed and kissed me. "I want that, too. But I didn't want you to think that I wanted you to take care of me or to follow you. I mean that sounds pathetic or something and I hate that it seems that way but…"

I silenced her with a kiss. "It doesn't seem that way. I want you with me. I can be the pathetic one if one of us must be, but I like to think we love each other and don't want to go months on end without seeing one another. That sounds better."

"It does." She grinned. "I was afraid to say anything."

"Never be afraid to say anything to me, baby. I want it all, the good and the bad." I touched her cheek. "Forever starts now."


	43. Chapter 43

"We're not telling your father today, are we?" I'd survived the initial meeting, despite our dubious introduction, but I wasn't too sure I'd make it through the day if Charlie Swan heard that his daughter wasn't returning to UDub in the fall.

"God, no, are you crazy?" Bella asked, laughing as she sat up in bed. "I'll tell him that over the phone from miles and miles away. I honestly don't think he'll be that surprised, but I'd rather not risk it. Or you." She brushed my hair out of my eyes, smiling softly.

That worked. "Yeah, let's not risk me. As it is, when you tell him, I think I'll ask Mom to get in touch with her contacts and have his passport flagged, just in case."

Bella giggled and shook her head. "He's not going to come to Germany to hunt you down." She shrugged at the expression on my face. "Well, he's not likely to. And what contacts does your mom have that flag passports?"

I tugged on her tousled hair. "With my mom, you never know, Bella. When she thought I was being kidnapped, she mentioned hitmen and the FBI. I've learned not to question such things."

Bella snickered. "Your mom's awesome." She glanced at the clock and winced. "But even she's not awesome enough to save us if my father shows up and finds us still in bed."

I was out of bed before she even finished the sentence. Bella laughed at me all the way to the shower. Sure, she could laugh because he wouldn't kill her. He'd probably just lock her up for the rest of her life. I was the one they'd find floating in the ocean, victim of an angry drug dealer or something. Her dad probably had access to seized drugs and he could stuff my pockets with some cocaine. Then I'd be dead and an addict. Hollywood would mourn me for five minutes before they got back to speculating on who was dating, who was divorcing and who was gay. Most uncool.

I very nearly joined Bella in the shower but that might be worse than finding us in bed together. At least then I could say I was just sleeping. I doubted Charlie would buy water conservation as a good reason to be naked and wet with his daughter. Fuck, wet, naked Bella. Calm down, Cullen. You'll have her all to yourself from here on out. You can get through one day with her father. Maybe. Worst case scenario, if he starts giving me the evil eye again, I have a zillion stories about Emmett's hijinks. I'll just throw my brother under the bus like he did me last night. Turnabout is fair play.

I pulled on my boxers and made my way into the quiet living room. It seemed we weren't the only ones getting a bit of a late start. I gathered up my bag that my father had kindly brought up last night when he went to get the presents. I'd brought my favorite suit to wear for Bella's big day. I went back in her room and groaned when I saw her bare backside bent over, pulling on a skimpy pair of black panties. "Are you trying to kill me?"

She giggled as she straightened. "No, I'm trying to get dressed so I can appear sweet and virginal when my father gets here."

I snorted at that and got her bra tossed at me. I twirled it around my finger and grinned at her. "You didn't sound virginal last night when you were begging me to fuck you." That got me a glare. "All I have to do is show him this thing and he'll know that you're neither of those things."

Bella held a hand out and I sighed as I handed it over. "As if you'd dare show my bra to my father. Dad and I like to maintain our illusions. What he doesn't know doesn't hurt either one of us." Or, just as importantly, me. "Go get your shower; we have to be there by ten." Since she quickly pulled her bra on, it seemed I was being dismissed. Damn.

Alright then. I showered and shaved before heading out to an empty bedroom. Probably for the best. We'd made love three times last night and this morning already. And I planned on some post-graduation celebratory sex as well. So I could wait until later.

I put on my black Armani and a purple tie that I was wearing to symbolize Bella's school colors. She walked in as I was straightening it in the mirror and let out a loud gasp. I smirked at the expression on her face.

"See something you like, love?"

"Holy hell, my dad's going to arrest you."

He was? What? What the fuck had I done? "Why?" I demanded, looking over her shoulder to see if her father was standing there with cuffs at the ready.

"It has to be illegal to look that good," she muttered, walking over and tugging on my tie.

I took a deep breath of relief. "You scared the shit out of me, baby. That was not cool." But I was glad I looked good. She obviously thought so. The look on her face was going to get us in some trouble. "Bella, you need to stop looking at me like that or you're going to miss your graduation." That was a bad idea, right? There was a reason that she shouldn't, but I was having a hard time thinking of that right now when she was looking at me like she wanted to devour me. That was not something I would object to normally.

"I can't help it. You're gorgeous."

I smiled and ran a finger over her cheek. "So are you." It was the truth. She was wearing a simple black dress that showed off her body to perfection. She was also, much to my pleasure, wearing the pendant I'd given her last night.

She tugged me forward by yanking on my tie and my lips were on hers. Fuck. So good, every damn time. Would I ever get tired of kissing her? No. That would never happen. She just felt so right and soft and she tasted like sugar. I had a notorious sweet tooth, so it only made sense for her to taste like candy.

"Break it up, you two. Mom called. They're on the way." Emmett grinned at me from the doorway. "You might want to calm down a bit before interrogation round two begins."

I sighed and released Bella. "Whatever. You're in more trouble than I am."

He frowned. "I know. What the fuck? You're the one doing his daughter. I'm just doing the surrogate! By rights, it should be you that has the worst of it."

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you got arrested a billion times," I told him, holding a hand out to Bella. She took it and we went into the living room. Alice was in a purple dress that matched my tie and Rose wasn't out yet.

"It wasn't a billion. And you better be nice to me or I won't help you out today."

"What does that mean?"

"I have a plan, little bro. You'll see." He grinned mischievously as Rose came into the room. Her outfit was siren red. It was fitting. "Hot damn, baby, how am I supposed to keep my hands off you when I know that you're wearing that under your robe?" Emmett demanded.

"I can help with that," came a gruff voice from the hallway. Emmett muttered a quick curse as Charlie came in. "You shouldn't leave your door unlocked," he lectured as he fiddled with his tie, scowling. Sue smoothed it down for him and he thanked her.

"I unlocked it so you could come in," Alice chirped, running up to give Charlie a hug.

"Well, alright then," he told her, patting her back. "You girls look beautiful."

"Thanks, Dad." Bella hugged him and kissed his cheek, and then Rose did the same.

"Charlie," Sue murmured, nudging him and handing him three colorful bouquets.

"Right. Uh, I, er, we got you girls some flowers," Charlie muttered. His cheeks were pink as he handed each girl a bouquet of multicolored tulips.

"Dad," Bella murmured, hugging him again. "Thank you, they're beautiful."

"They really are, Charlie! I'll put them in water." Alice took each one and headed to the kitchen. She came out a minute later with three vases and set them on the coffee table. "Really lovely." She beamed at them.

Bella gave Sue a hug and kiss on the cheek as well. "Thanks. I know it was your idea."

Sue laughed lightly. "Well, he wanted to give you something but wasn't sure what, so I steered him toward flowers. It's the thought that counts, though."

"Thanks, Charlie." Rose gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek that had him blushing harder. Emmett muttered some more. I laughed at his jealous ass. "Thanks, Sue."

"Oh, aren't those lovely? Carlisle, look at what Charlie and Sue got the girls." My parents were here, thank God. My dad made proper noises over the flowers, like he really cared, while Mom hugged the girls. "Look how gorgeous you all are! Let me get some pictures!"

And then we spent ages posing. Me and Bella, Emmett and Rose, Alice, Bella and Rose, Charlie and the girls, Charlie, Sue and the girls, Mom and Dad and the girls, Mom and Dad and the couples. It went on and on and just when we thought it was over, Alice's parents arrived and had to join the barrage as well.

Celia and Hank Brandon were nice people. There'd been an awkward moment when they first caught sight of me but Alice had smoothed the way and thankfully they started acting normally pretty quickly.

"We've got to go," Bella told me. "We're supposed to be there a good hour before the thing starts. I'm going to ride over with Rose and Alice. We'll meet you here after?"

Yeah, that was the plan, although I was starting to get nervous about what might happen at the ceremony. If it was going to be outside, I could wear a hat and sunglasses and try to blend, but they had it in some auditorium and I'd call attention to myself if I tried it. "Sure, baby." She kissed me and the girls headed out.

"I guess we should head over too," Charlie decided a few minutes after the girls left.

"Just one second, Chief," Emmett said, holding up a hand. "We need to talk strategy."

"Strategy?" Mrs. Brandon asked, looking confused.

"Yeah. Eddie's going out in public and as you can imagine, people tend to notice, so we need a plan. Since he wouldn't follow my advice to shave his head or wear a wig, we have to expect that he's going to be noticed and how to handle it."

I rolled my eyes remembering Emmett's suggestions for ways I could blend in, including wearing the damn UW mascot uniform. "What do you think we should do?"

"Simple," Emmett said. "There's about a billion people graduating today, so there'll likely be a Cullen in the bunch. And if not, there'll be a Collins or Colon or something. We're going to cheer like motherfuckers for whoever that is, so people think we're related."

It wasn't a terrible idea. "But what about the girls? I want to cheer for them, too."

Emmett beamed at me. "Very good, Eddie. Of course we do. So, we come in after you guys and I'll strike up a conversation with you." He addressed Charlie, Sue and the Brandons. "I'll ask about your kids, Charlie, you tell us about Bella and Rose and you guys tell us about Alice. We'll tell you to let us know when they're going and we'll cheer for them, too."

It was an okay idea. Better than any I had, I supposed. "That could work, but we'll be calling an awful lot of attention to ourselves."

"Whatever, Edward. People are going to notice you. Alice's mom had to wipe the drool off her face when she got a load of you. Sorry, Mr. Brandon, but it's true."

Lord. Alice's mom was bright red and her dad looked embarrassed as hell. "Have you no couth, boy?" Charlie demanded.

"I call 'em like I see 'em, Chief. That's why I get in trouble now and then." Emmett smiled winningly. "Sorry, Mrs. Brandon. For what it's worth, Alice totally wanted to jump him, too. Now she's in love with me, though."

"Emmett, get to your point," my mother ordered, glaring at him.

Em shrank back a little. "Well, I thought I made it but…"

"Just spit it out, son," Dad told him.

"People are going to notice Eddie no matter what he does, so he needs to act normal. He's here to watch a family member graduate, period. We'll cheer for our girls through you guys and then we'll hightail it out of there before they finish. I imagine some people will approach him, but hopefully it won't be too bad."

All eyes turned to me and I shrugged. "It is what it is. I'd rather people think I was here for some random Cullen than for Bella at the moment. I'd like her to be able to explore Europe without worrying about the press. We'll release her name eventually, but it's worth a shot to play up the family angle."

"Okay. That's what we'll do then. Let's get there and get some good seats," Mom suggested.

"I'm driving!" Emmett announced. Dad laughed and tossed him the keys.

Charlie shook his head. "We'll ride with Celia and Hank."

"You wound me, Charlie," Emmett sighed.

"I haven't yet, but the day is still young," Charlie told him as a parting shot. Emmett frowned and we all headed out. I locked the door with the keys Bella had given me. It was time. We'd see what happened.

Xoxoxoxoxox

"Are you ready, Edward?" Mom asked, watching me anxiously. Emmett had pulled up outside of the auditorium. There were some random students in caps and gowns milling around but the majority didn't appear to be out, which was a good thing.

"I'm ready." We'd snuck out of Berlin in the middle of the night, so no paps had caught wind of me leaving, thankfully. I just had to worry about civilians today, though they could be worse. One minute I could be walking into a restaurant and the next a million twitterers would know about it. Paps, at least, didn't like to share until they got paid.

I slipped on my sunglasses and got out of the car with the rest of my family. Charlie and company were heading into the building so we went that way as well. I felt eyes on me and heard the first gasp of the day followed by excited whispering. Emmett shifted over to the side the gasp had come from, ready to run interference. I kept my head down and didn't meet any eyes as we got to the entrance. They were waiting for us inside and when Charlie saw us he walked toward the bleachers. We followed them, staying a bit behind. Emmett started chirping about how excited he was to see our cousin graduate. I just hoped we had a fake cousin to pass off.

"We could cheer for Platts, too," he suggested. That wasn't a bad plan. Mom's maiden name, so if anybody looked it up, it would pass. Too bad we didn't have a Smith in our family. Or a Thompson or something. Davis, there were always tons of those.

"Oh my God, that's Edward Cullen!" a shriek echoed as I made my way up the aisles. Fuck. She looked about sixteen and out came the phone. Damn camera phones, which I usually loved because my girl used one to send me suggestive photos, but not today.

My Dad tried to block her view but it was probably already too late. Charlie was seated and we sat in the row behind them. People were staring and a few were pointing. I kept my sunglasses on for now. So what if I looked like a douche? At least it made me appear standoffish.

"I hope you don't have to piss," Emmett told me, earning a cuff in the back of the head from Mom. "Ow! I'm just saying, he's gonna get mobbed if he goes anywhere alone."

"You'll go with him," Mom told him.

"What, are we girls?" Emmett demanded, but he stopped at the look on Mom's face. "So, we're girls. Hold it, Eddie."

"I don't have to pee, idiot," I snapped.

"Watch," Emmett whispered. He tapped Charlie on his shoulder. "Hey! Emmett Cullen, how the hell are you?" He held out a hand, forcing Charlie to shake it. His brown eyes were annoyed already. Great. "Who are you and who are you here to see today?"

"Uh, I'm Charlie Swan and I'm here to see my daughter, Bella and her friends Rose and Alice graduate."

Emmett rolled his eyes but kept a bright smile on his face. He was talking about twice as loud as he needed to, making sure his voice carried. "Rose, huh? That's a hot girl name. Is she as beautiful as she sounds?"

I snickered as Charlie glared at my brother. "They're all very beautiful and entirely too good for the likes of you."

"I've no doubt of that, Mr. Swan, but you never know, one of them just may take pity on me. We're here to see our cousin graduate." His voice was about four times louder now. Why he didn't have a fake banner made with a blank for the first name was beyond me. Obnoxious ass. But he was doing his best to distract from Bella, so I had to admire him for that. I counted at least seven phones and cameras aimed in my direction.

"If one of them did, I'm sure she'd get tired of you before too long," Charlie responded.

Emmett threw back his head and laughed. "You just haven't succumbed to my charms yet, Charlie." He was totally pushing it because we were in public and he knew Charlie wouldn't make a scene.

"Tell me, Cullen, have you ever been tasered at any of your _five_ arrests?" Charlie asked quietly, shooting a glance at my mother as he emphasized the number. Her teeth gritted at the reminder. Oh boy, we were still in trouble.

"No, sir," Emmett held up his hands, eyes wide. "I'm quite fond of handcuffs but you can keep your taser."

"We'll see," Charlie warned darkly.

"Perhaps you could tell us the girls' full names, so we can give them some love?" Emmett suggested loudly.

Sue smiled, playing along. "Isabella Swan, Rosalie Hale and Alice Brandon. Bella's getting her degree in English while Rose is pre-med and Alice is in nursing."

Emmett beamed at her while Charlie grumbled about betrayal. "Thank you, lovely lady. Is one of these girls your daughter as well?"

Sue shook her head while Charlie blushed. "No, I'm just here to support Charlie and see Bella again. It's been a long time since I saw her last."

Emmett grinned. "Really? Are you his girlfriend? Way to go, man, she sure is a looker." Charlie looked mortified and annoyed at the same time. Emmett was being such an ass. I tried not to laugh as my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I fished it out and smiled when I saw it was a text from Bella, though the smile dropped when I read her words.

_You've been outed. Everybody in my area is talking about the fact that Edward Cullen is at our graduation. Some think you're our guest speaker, which would be way cooler than the governor._

I sighed and showed my message to Mom and Emmett. "You knew it would be like this," Mom reminded me. I did. I just hoped I could get in and out without exposing Bella to the masses.

**Word travels fast, doesn't it, baby? Em's having a fine time annoying your father and I'm trying not to focus on all the cameras aimed my way.**

"Say something."

"No, you say something," a second voice hissed behind me. Fuck.

"Something!" Emmett boomed, causing several people around us to jump. "What? I thought you wanted somebody to say something," he addressed the two girls, smiling innocently.

"Um, I was talking about to him." I didn't turn; I didn't have to look to know they were pointing at me.

"Edward, say something," Emmett demanded.

"Something," I muttered, causing the girls behind me to squeal.

"We're your biggest fans!"

I sighed and braced myself, turning and throwing a smile over my shoulder. "Thanks. It's nice to meet you." They were young, definitely fifteen or sixteen, probably here to see an older sibling graduate.

"What are you doing here?" the one with reddish/blonde hair asked.

"My cousin is graduating," I replied. Please, start this stupid thing so I can turn away without being rude.

"So's our brother," the blonder of the two replied. "I didn't know you had a cousin here."

I rolled my eyes behind my shades. "Why would you?" I asked pleasantly.

"Right. So, like, can we get your autograph?"

"Sure." I signed the paper they held out. "Enjoy graduation." They took that as the cue I wanted them to leave and scrambled back to where their mother appeared to be having a seizure. Damn, I couldn't go anywhere.

"Is it like that everywhere you go?" Charlie asked, eying me.

I shrugged. "Depends where I am. I get my picture taken everywhere but I don't get approached as much at home. It's Hollywood, after all."

"Girls follow him everywhere," Emmett supplied, ever the helper. I glared at him. "But he's never taken an interest in any of them. He's all about you know who." Well, that was better.

Charlie nodded. "I can see that. You better take good care of her," he warned quietly.

"I will," I told him fervently.

I realized Bella had texted while I'd been distracted.

_I'm glad Emmett can keep you all entertained. Who cares what words they use; it's all about ours, Edward. I love you and I'll show you how much in a few hours._

She made me feel better about everything. Her words always made everything better.

**I love your words, and I love you. I can't wait to see you walk across that stage, baby.**

Thankfully the music started up and the students marched in. I sat and prepared to be bored until I heard that all important name. We had awhile to wait. First the university president talked and then the governor or some such thing. Finally they started the actual graduation but it was doctors that got priority, right on down through the various schools.

"Dude, I'm glad I didn't go to college," Emmett muttered as the Arts Sciences group got called one by one.

"Like any college would want you," Charlie interjected.

Emmett glared at the back of his head. "Please, I'd rock college. I'd be a legend."

Charlie snorted. "Let's see, a guy who drinks, gets in fights and hits on women. Yeah, college campuses are overrun with those. You'd be just another frat boy, Cullen."

"Ma! Are you gonna let him talk to me like that?" Emmett demanded, pouting.

Mom laughed. "Now, you know that you'd never be just another anything, Emmett. My boys were made to shine. You'd be the best drunk frat boy this or any campus had ever seen."

He looked slightly mollified by that. "Damn right."

The Biochemists were being announced now. At least we were inching toward English majors. "David Cullen," the Dean or whatever they were called said.

Emmett's face lit up like he'd just gotten crowned best drunken frat boy on campus. "Way to go, cuz!" he shouted loudly. We all clapped and there were a ton of eyes on us as our supposed cousin David walked across the stage. It was hard to tell from so far up but he looked like he might be Asian. If I couldn't tell, the rest of the people around us probably couldn't. And hey, he could be our cousin. They didn't know.

"See, I told you," he murmured as he gave a fist pump. I shook my head. Well, our fake family member had been procured at least. Now we just had to wait for the people that we actually were here for.

I zoned for awhile until they announced the English majors. Of course, Bella was a Swan, so we had to go through umpteen others before we hit the S's, but then we were there. "Jessica Stanley," the Dean called. My eyes were on Bella who was waiting next.

Charlie played his part. "That's my daughter, about to be called!" he announced loudly.

"Alright, we'll yell for her!" Emmett declared, slapping a hand on Charlie's shoulder. He got a glare but I didn't care.

"Isabella Swan." There was my girl, in her purple robe, looking confident as she walked across the stage and shook the Dean's hand. We all stood and clapped with Emmett shouting again.

"Way to go, Charlie's daughter! We're all here for you."

I swore she glanced in our direction as she made her way off the stage, but that was unlikely, even though my brother was loud as hell.

"You know, you should be a cop or something. You wouldn't even need to use a bullhorn," Charlie told him as he sat back down.

"Don't insult me," Emmett responded, glaring. "Though I'd be an awesome cop if I wanted to be."

"You'd be awesome at everything according to you," Charlie sniped back.

"Lord, those two are contrary." Mom shook her head. "Well, you saw your girl in her big moment. How do you feel?"

I smiled. "I'm so proud of her. I know it meant a lot to her to get her degree." Em and Charlie were still bantering back and forth while Sue and my father chatted so I spoke softly to my mom. "Bella…she's not coming back in September." Mom's eyes widened and she cut a glance toward Charlie. I shook my head quickly. "She wants to be with me, and I want that, too. We're going to look into alternatives but…"

"That's great, honey." Mom squeezed my hand. "If she wants to continue school, she can defer or do something online or transfer. You have plenty of options."

"I know. I'm excited."

Mom smiled. "I'm excited for you. She's a delightful girl, Edward, really. And she's just as in love with you as you are her." I knew that. I felt it.

"I love her more than anything, Mom. We just can't wait to start our lives together."

Mom patted my arm. "I don't blame you. Once you find your _one,_ you really don't want to waste time. Dad and I were lucky that we were on the same campus together. Compromise is huge in any relationship. If Dad had graduated before me or if I had to go elsewhere for school, I know we would have gone together. We couldn't stand to be apart, especially early on."

I grimaced. "This month apart just about killed us. Well, you saw."

She laughed, helplessly. "I did at that. And I more than understood, though you may want to take it easy on her poor father. He's not only having to accept letting his little girl go, but also his other two surrogate daughters. I don't think he's ready for it."

That was an understatement. "I just don't want him to hate me."

"Honey, he doesn't. He hates that Bella's not a little girl anymore, but he knew that already. You're just making him face it and he's seeing that there's a man that she loves even more than she loves her father. That's hard for fathers to take." She chuckled. "Hell, it's hard for a lot of mothers to take too, but I love the girls you've chosen so it's a lot easier for me to welcome them into our lives. I might freak out a little if you guys decide to move away from me for good though."

I laughed and put an arm around her. "I don't think you're ever getting rid of us, Mom. Emmett couldn't function without you."

"Hey!" my brother protested, finally having finished whatever he and Charlie were arguing about this time. "I resemble that remark." He blew a kiss to Mom who laughed and blew one back.

"Mama's boy," Charlie observed.

"And proud of it. Mama kicks major ass, including my own."

Charlie laughed. "Yeah, I saw that live and in person last night."

Emmett's dimples flashed as Mom giggled. "Don't cross Mom."

"I won't." He focused on me. "Can I talk to you a minute?" he asked quietly. Louder he said, "I'm a big fan." I grinned at the way his moustache twitched when he said those words.

"I'm flattered," I responded, because what could I say really? I stood and Charlie whispered to Sue who traded places with me, sitting between Mom and Emmett. I took her seat between Charlie and Mrs. Brandon.

Charlie's face was red again and I started to sweat fearing that he was going to bring up sex or Bella and sex or me and Bella and sex and inappropriateness. Fuck. "So tell me about your next movie," he said loudly, having taken modulation direction from Emmett obviously. Then he leaned a little closer and spoke softly. "I just want to make sure you're going to take good care of my girl."

Oh, thank God. "Yes, sir, I swear I will. There's nobody more important to me."

He nodded slowly. "I can see that. I kind of hoped I wouldn't, you know?" I shrugged. "I thought I'd take one look at you and see some Hollywood playboy type that wasn't remotely good enough for her and then I'd make Bella see you for what you were and she wouldn't take off with you for the summer. Or longer." I flinched a little at the last part and he laughed grimly. "Yeah, I thought so." He breathed a sigh. "It's her life and I want her to be happy." His eyes bore into mine. "I want what's best for her and clearly she thinks you're it."

"Charlie, er, Mr. Swan…"

He laughed. "Charlie's fine."

Phew. "I'm going to do my best to make Bella happy. I'll do everything that's in my power to do so. I've never been a Hollywood playboy and I can assure you that I won't become one now. Bella said she told you about our family history…" I laughed as he scowled. "Yeah, well I can assure you it's the truth and honest to God, she's it for me. I think I knew it even before I met her. She intrigued me right from the start and even though I was halfway across the world and could have been partying and wining and dining to my heart's content, all I wanted to do was get back to my room and talk to her. There's nothing I want more than her and her happiness."

Charlie nodded. "Good. That's real good, son." Son? That made me smile. "Someday, if you're lucky, you'll have a little girl of your own. And I swear to you, whether she's two or twenty-two, she'll always be your little girl. One day, she'll tell you about a boy, the boy, and you'll know she's not just yours anymore." Oh, shit, was he going to cry? Bella would kill me. And I'd panic and do something stupid if he did. Please, please do not cry.

"Don't looked so panicked, kid. And I'm not telling you to have the little girl now, either," he warned darkly.

"Not a problem, I assure you," I managed, because we were edging that line alluding to sex with Bella. I did not want to die, damn it.

"Damn right," he muttered. "Anyway, I guess I knew the first time she mentioned you. Bella's not one for talking about relationships and stuff really." He glared. "She barely ever talked about that last one and I probably wouldn't have known about the shit that he pulled if Rose and Alice hadn't clued me in." Jeez, Charlie Swan was scary as hell when he was mad. I wouldn't want to be a perp on the other side of the table from him or anything.

"I'm surprised you let him live," I told him, which earned me a quick smile and a smack on the back.

"Well, now, the father in me very much wanted to take justice in my own hands and teach that boy a lesson he'd never forget. The chief in me wouldn't allow it. Unlike your brother, I have some self-control." I laughed at that one. Definitely not Emmett's strong suit. "But it's not easy knowing your child has had their heart broken, and really, there's nothing you can do but be there."

"Bella loves you," I assured him. "She knows how lucky she is with you."

His cheeks pinked again. "Yes, well, sometimes I wish that she'd had a real mother growing up but…" he broke off and glanced at my mom and Sue. "Well, it looks like she just might have one or maybe two now."

"My mom already considers her to be part of the family."

"I've got eyes in my head, don't I? She gave her and Rose family heirlooms last night. Those girls, both of them, deserve a mother like that. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm glad that you, that all of you, are in their lives now."

Wow. I was blown away. "Even Emmett?" I asked, disbelief apparent in my tone.

Charlie chuckled. "Yes, but if you tell him I said it, I'll deny it until my dying breath. And I'll take you down with me when as I go." I held up my hands. "If I didn't think Rose could handle him, I'd take him out myself but he makes her happy. That's what I want for all of them."

"She's changed him. He may do stupid stuff now and then but he's the most loyal person I've ever known. He'll take care of her."

"Good. She needs someone to put her first for once and I think he will, even if he'll likely get her arrested before it's all said and done."

I laughed, remembering what she'd said. "She ordered him not to get arrested without her."

Charlie groaned. "Some things I don't need to know. I guess I better cultivate some friendships with California cops." My eyes widened a bit at his words and he shook his head. "You think I can't see the writing on the wall? Whether you come up here or they go down there, I'm not stupid enough to think that things aren't going to change. The question is, will you make sure that those girls achieve their dreams?"

What did he mean by that? "What?"

"Rose has always wanted to be a doctor." He frowned. "Not always for the right reasons, I don't think. Mostly it was to show her parents up, but the fact of the matter is, she's brilliant and talented and she should be a doctor, not just your brother's girlfriend or wife."

"Emmett loves that she wants to be a doctor. I won't lie and say our lives aren't complicated, but I know Emmett would move here if she wanted him to, just like I would for Bella."

I glanced around and saw a few people watching us but thankfully most were focused on the ceremony. We weren't quite to med students yet.

"Plus, Rose isn't the type to be just anybody's girlfriend or wife. Neither is Bella."

Charlie nodded. "No, not really. Bella's life isn't as laid out as Rose's is. She's never dreamed of being a teacher; she just kind of fell into it because there's not that much for an English major to do. She loves to read." He smiled softly. "From the time she learned to read at five, she's had that nose of hers buried in a book, until Alice dragged her outside to play." I laughed at that mental picture. It was so Bella. "I don't know if she could teach while she was with you, if she'd get photographed and whatnot. I don't even know if she wants to. I just want you to encourage her to be something more than just Edward Cullen's girl." He frowned. "That's what the press will call her and I don't want her to be defined that way."

That was easy. "Charlie, I'll encourage her to do whatever she wants to do. If she wants to teach, she can teach. Yeah, there might be some issues here and there but we'll get through them. She read my scripts when we went away over Spring Break." Don't mention the cabin, Cullen. "She has a great eye and she picked two great movies for me to do." It was something I'd thought about from time to time. Marcus was always in need of script readers. If she was interested, I could absolutely steer her in his direction.

"Well, good." Charlie smiled. "I'm glad that you value her opinion. She's got a good eye, mostly." Was I included in that mostly? I hoped so. He held out a hand and I shook it. "I'm trusting you with her, Edward. Don't let her down."

"Never, Charlie."

The med students were finally being called. I stayed with Charlie as they got through the G's. He turned to Emmett who was ready to jump out of his seat. "One of my other girls, Rosalie Hale, is about to go."

Emmett smiled gratefully. "We'll support her for you, Charlie." And then they called her and Emmett whooped and hollered like he was trying out for the cheerleading squad. Charlie shook his head but whistled for her and the rest of us clapped and cheered as well.

"Hey, Charlie, she's hot!" Emmett shouted. "Can I meet her?"

Charlie shot him a withering glance. "No."

Em's face fell comically. "Damn."

He snickered and ignored Emmett's pleas for mercy. I switched with Sue again. As soon as Alice went, Emmett and I were getting out of there. We waited through the rest of the med students and mercifully hit the nurses. I was glad Alice's last name started with B. They called her and we cheered and sat back down. Emmett threw in some random cheers for a few other people "just to confuse things" he said. I rolled my eyes.

"Let's get out of here," I suggested.

"You boys go, we'll meet you back at the apartment," Dad told us.

We made our way out of the auditorium. I got stopped three times by autograph seekers but it wasn't too bad. I braced myself as we exited the building but there weren't any paps, thank God. If this was at home, we'd be inundated. Em and I got to the car and made it to Bella's without incident. I did have a text waiting for me from Kate.

_Your whereabouts are all over Twitter. You look mighty sharp in your suit. Several tweets about a cousin graduating, so whatever you did, keep on doing it. Also, some teenager claims she's going to marry you because you smiled at her._

I snickered. Of course. Our parents came in about an hour later and the girls followed shortly thereafter. Bella launched herself into my arms and I kissed her soundly. "Congrats, baby."

"Thank you! God, I'm so glad to be done with it. If I had to listen to Jessica talk about you for one more minute, her eye would have matched her robe."

I snickered. "Is that so? I love when you get tough. It's sexy," I whispered in her ear.

She giggled and kissed me again before hugging her father and my parents.

"I got reservations at Max's for an hour from now," Charlie spoke up. He glanced at me. "I'm not sure what you want to do but I made enough for all of us. I know Bella's always wanted to eat there so…"

Bella smiled. "Give us a second, Dad." She tugged me toward her room and tossed her robe on her dresser. "I'm cool with just staying in and ordering if you want."

Absolutely not. "You're not spending your graduation night eating takeout in your apartment, hiding out with me. I can stay here…" her face looked positively mutinous at that idea so I stopped the thought before I finished it. Fuck it. "Or I can go with you."

Her eyes widened. "But, people will see you."

"People already have. It's not about me being seen, it's about you being seen with me. I don't want you to get harassed while you're trying to sightsee, Bella."

She frowned. "I don't care about that."

I did, but I didn't want her upset on her big day. "I want to celebrate with you, Bella. And you've always wanted to eat at this place?"

She looked slightly guilty for some reason. "Well, I've sort of been there once before, but I didn't really eat." I raised a brow at that and she bit her lip. "That's where Colin took me the night that I met you."

Oh, God. I forgot about that guy, the nice asshole. "It's time you ate there with the right guy, then, isn't it?"

Bella smiled. "If you're sure."

"I'm sure, baby." With luck, nobody would get a picture of her. They could have all they wanted of me, but if we could keep her out of the pictures, all would be well. Maybe I could sit on the other side of the table from her. And maybe I couldn't. That was just stupid.

"It'll be our first public date," she said, smiling sweetly.

Yeah, that decided it. I took her hand and kissed it. "May I escort you to dinner, Ms. Swan?"

"Certainly, Mr. Cullen." She kissed me again and I groaned. So good, each and every time. "And I have some news for you," she murmured, rubbing her body against mine.

"What would that be?" I asked, trying to will my dick to stay down. It wasn't cooperating, of course.

"I'm a sure thing." My jaw dropped as she patted my cheek and headed back into the living room. Well, whatever dinner held, dessert was going to be awesome. Bring it on.

* * *

  
****


	44. Chapter 44

Before I went back into the living room, I sent a warning text to Kate. She'd have my hide if she didn't have some kind of prep for what could be coming.

**So, we're all going out to a celebratory dinner. I'll check in with you later.**

One step. That was as far as I got before my phone was ringing. I cringed but answered anyway. I knew if I avoided her all hell would break loose.

"Hi, Katie."

"Don't you 'Hi, Katie' me, Cullen. Just what the hell do you think you're up to?"

I sighed and sat on the edge of Bella's bed. "Her dad made reservations for dinner at a place she's always wanted to go. I offered to stay behind but she didn't like that and I'm not going to have her missing out just because I'm here."

"I get it, Edward, really I do. But why pull that cousin crap if you're not going to use it?" She sounded exasperated and annoyed already and the calls hadn't even started to come in. Or had they?

"Are you getting calls?"

Kate snorted. "Am I getting calls? Is today a day that ends in y? What do you think? I said you were attending the graduation of a family member as that's what the Twitterverse was having everybody believe."

"Well, technically she will be family one day…"

"Edward! Don't say things like that when I'm annoyed with you. I won't have you softening my mood with all that talk of love and forever, romantic though it may be." I grinned because no matter what she said, she'd support me.

"Listen, you know I'm going to do my damndest to make sure there are no pictures of her and I'm sure my family and hers will do what they can. I'm not sure if…"

"I have a plan!" Emmett announced from the doorway. "Tell Kate I'm on it! See you in a few." He was gone before I could blink and I heard another door shut. Shit.

What in the hell was going on? My brother and his plans scared the life out of me, even if the last one had worked well enough. "Did I hear what I thought I just heard? I swear, Emmett is the loudest human being alive," Kate laughed. "What does he have up his sleeve?"

"I don't know. But he left. That can't be good."

"Just keep me posted." She sounded resigned now. "Call if something major breaks. I have my eyes on Twitter."

"Anything interesting?" I asked. Bella had been irritated by what she'd read, that much I knew.

"Just a lot of speculation about where you might be and I think there's more than one person searching the streets for you." I sighed. It wasn't news but still, it was irritating. "You better be prepared to make a run for it when word gets out about where you are."

"That's one of the benefits of having a brother who's a stunt driver," I pointed out, making her laugh again.

"You might want to send an apology note to that David Cullen kid, by the way. People are looking for him, too." Poor fake cousin David. I did feel a bit bad about that.

"Hopefully he's unlisted."

"How anybody could believe a biochemist could be related to you two is beyond me," Kate giggled.

"Hey, we're not dumb," I protested.

"I know, I know. It's still funny."

"Says you. I'm going to find out what my brother is up to now."

"Good. Keep me posted and for God's sake, be smart about this. It won't be much of a celebratory dinner if you've got cameras in your face the whole time."

She was right. She usually was. "I'll do what I can. Thanks, Kate. Talk to you later."

"Yeah, you will. Bye." And she was gone. I shook my head and got up to go back into the living room. Everybody was congregated there. Charlie and my father were both on the phone.

"What's going on?" I asked Bella, slipping an arm around her.

She leaned against me. "Dad's calling the restaurant to see if there's a back entrance or anything and your father is arranging another car. I'm not sure why."

I knew that one. In case they got wind of our license plates. "Where did Emmett go?"

Bella shrugged. "Nobody knows. First, he tried to convince Alice that she should pretend to be David Cullen because she has black hair and can pass for a boy. You can imagine how that went over." Dear Lord, I was surprised he was still able to walk if he did that. "He thought for a minute and said he had a plan. He ordered Dad to call the restaurant and your dad to call for a car and then he took off."

"Great." I caught Rose smiling. "Do you know what he's up to?"

She laughed. "No, but whatever it is, it'll be fun. Plus he was sexy as hell when he started ordering people around. He even forgot to be afraid of Charlie."

Charlie scowled as he hung up. "I heard that. Okay, there is an employee elevator and a back entrance into the building. I've had them push our table to the very back of the restaurant so that we can be as much out of view as possible."

"I have a car on standby. I have no idea if I'm supposed to have it standing somewhere though," Dad announced when he got off the phone. "Where in the hell is Emmett?"

"Right here!" he called as he came into the room. "Happy graduation, girls!" He tossed purple caps to each of them. Alice's bounced off her as she stared at it in horror.

"Proud grad? Do you honestly think I'd wear this?" she demanded.

"You can and you will," Emmett told her. "I didn't go to all the trouble to invent a fake cousin only to have Eddie screw shit up by parading Bella around at dinner." He smiled at her. "No offense. You absolutely deserve to be paraded, but the whole point was to get in and out without people knowing who you are. So, you're going to wear those, keep the bill low over your face and do your damndest not to be seen."

"Emmett, I don't think…" Mom started, only to have him hold up a hand. Damn, he was daring when he had an idea. The look on Mom's face was pretty priceless.

"Ma, I got this. I've been getting Eddie in and out of places for the past eight years, have I not? He doesn't need a bodyguard because he has me." This was true. Emmett had run interference for me time and time again.

"So, what is the plan, then?" Charlie asked.

"Simple. You and the Brandons and the girls go up first. We'll be right behind you. I'll be excited about running into my new friend that I met at graduation." Charlie made a choking sound and my brother grinned. "Did you ask if they have any seating available?"

"Yes, and they don't. They're booked solid today."

"Good. We'll try to get a table and they'll tell us no, or more likely they'll start scrambling to figure something out so they can accommodate the big star and you, my newest and bestest friend, will tell us that we can join you since some of your party didn't show." He waved a hand. "We'll have dinner and we'll bond and you'll give me Rosie's hand."

Rose's hand smacked him. "That doesn't explain why we're wearing these stupid hats."

Emmett blew her a kiss. "Well, clearly, Charlie bought them for you and you don't want to offend him. The point is, to try to make sure nobody gets pictures of you and your names aren't out there. I thought about getting you wigs but I don't know where to find those and the only ones they had at the store were crazy purple ones."

It may work. I mean, it was worth a shot, I guess. "What about the car?"

"Simple. People are going to know we're there. We got lucky at graduation but even if the paps had to travel, they're here now. We'll separate after dinner. There's a back entrance?" he asked. Charlie nodded. "Good. You all will exit that way. We'll go right out the front and lead them away. You come back here. I'll lose them and we'll switch cars and meet you here. Tomorrow, we're out. It couldn't be easier."

Yes, it could be. I exchanged a glance with Bella. "I can just stay here." I hated the sadness that came into those beautiful brown eyes of hers. "Baby, I don't want you wearing silly hats and dodging photographers."

"Edward, I don't mind," she said softly.

"None of us do." Rose scooped her hair into a ponytail and pulled it through the cap. "Worst case scenario, it doesn't work, we're photographed in these ridiculous hats and our names are out there. We're prepared for that and it'll happen eventually. Best case scenario, it works and we get to hit Europe anonymously. Just give it a shot."

Bella smiled and pulled her hair through the cap as well. All eyes turned to Alice who sighed but did so. "You really could pass for David if you'd just wear pants," Emmett told her helpfully.

Her answering glare was hot enough to burn. "I do not look like a boy."

"You could pass. That might explain why you go for them." Fists flew then and Emmett just laughed as he caught her and held her to his side. She tried, fruitlessly, to get away.

"I hate you!"

"No, you love me, little David."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Would you two quit your squabbling? We have to go if we're doing this."

"Are you sure you're good with this?" I asked Bella.

She took my face in her hands. "Yes. So it's not a traditional first date by any means, but what about us has been traditional anyway? I want you to be there. If things explode, we'll deal with it. You talked to Kate, right?"

I smiled. "Yeah. She's not thrilled but she's on standby if your name gets out there."

"Enough yapping. Bella, you and Rose ride with your Dad and Sue. Alice, you go with your parents. We'll ride with ours. You lead the way and we'll hang back a minute so you can get in first, clearly without us. Charlie, you do your part," my brother ordered.

Charlie's eyes narrowed. "Just who do you think you're talking to, boy?"

Emmett finally seemed to realize that he'd been annoying the hell out of Charlie for the entire day and he might want to back down a little and he stepped back. "I was just making sure we were all on the same page, sir. El presidente?" he asked.

Mom chuckled and stepped between them. "Emmett, I'm sure that Charlie understands the role he has to play."

"Yes, the part where I pretend that I don't want to kick his ass. You'll have to send your first Oscar to me if I pull this off," Charlie told me, causing everybody but Emmett to laugh. "Sue, why didn't you let me bring my things?" he asked petulantly.

She smiled as she took his hand. "Because you have no need for your gun, baton or taser when you're visiting your daughter."

"Clearly I do," he muttered darkly. "Boy thinks he can order me around like I'm one of his biker pals."

"Now, Charlie. What do you know about coordinating something like this?" she asked, fussing with his tie again.

"I'm a police chief; I know how to run an op, even a ridiculous one like this."

"I'm sure you do," Mom soothed. "Do you have anything else to input? Some changes we can make?"

Charlie frowned. "No. It's as good as anything I've got."

"Let's do this, then!" Emmett exclaimed. "It's gonna rock." Well, it would be something. We'd see soon enough.

Xoxoxoxoxox

"Here we go!" Emmett parked the car and we got out. There were only a few people around and I kept my head down and hurried inside. The others were just getting into their elevator. Bella grinned at me as the doors closed. I stabbed the button a few seconds later and the other elevator arrived shortly after. "I'm so excited. Charlie has to be nice to me again!" Emmett sang as we got inside.

"You could lay off a little," Mom told him dryly.

"Ma, he's totally coming around on me," Emmett told her seriously. "The more I charm him, the harder it will be for him to kill me. He'll remember all our good times and be unable to pull the trigger."

"You know, you're probably going to have to ask him for Rose's hand," Dad suggested, his eyes twinkling.

"Oh, hell no! He'd probably cuff me and lock me in a room away from prying eyes so he could beat the shit out of me. I'll ask her shitty dad, who probably won't care or know who I'm even talking about."

Mom frowned. "Somehow that doesn't sound too farfetched. I wonder if they'll even come to the wedding."

"That's why he'll have to deal with Charlie," Dad supplied helpfully. "He'll probably be the one to walk her down the aisle."

Emmett was breathing heavily, eyes wide. "This sucks. How do I make him like me? How did you do it?" he demanded, turning on me.

I held up my hands. "I just told him I want what's best for Bella and that I'll love her always and never hold her back. I'll support her dreams." I wasn't going to tell him Charlie had more or less signed off on him. I didn't need to be on his bad side. "He doesn't want Rose or Bella giving up the dreams they had before us. He thinks Rose needs to be a doctor."

"Well, of course she'll be a doctor. We've already played doctor numerous times and I can tell you she's sexy as hell in that white coat. When she…" he broke off when he realized that our parents were standing right there laughing at his dumb ass. "Anyway, I support her future job wholeheartedly. I can retire and she can take care of me in the style to which I've become accustomed."

I snickered as the elevator doors opened. "Yeah, be sure to tell him that and he'll be right on board with it." We pushed open the door to Max's and there they were, right in front of us, the girls in their matching purple hats. The waiter was grabbing menus and preparing to take them to our seats.

"Charlie, is that you?" Emmett boomed before they could walk away.

Charlie's shoulders hunched but he turned. "Yeah, Emmett. Fancy meeting you here." The hostesses eyes were about to bug out of her head and I was afraid that she was going to pass out. I was just a person, damn it.

"We heard this was the best restaurant in town." He was, once again, practically yelling. "Our cousin David blew us off, can you believe that?" Emmett shook his head sadly. "He's already back in the chem lab doing something ingenious I'm sure. The kid will cure cancer, just you wait and see."

"That's great," Charlie agreed softly. "Well, I hope you enjoy your dinner."

"Don't rush off yet, Charlie," my brother told him with gritted teeth. "I haven't met your girls! Hello ladies." He flashed that killer smile and Rose let out a soft moan. Jesus.

"Oh my God," Alice let out a little cry. "You're Edward Cullen!"

I smiled and she ducked her head again, choosing to act shy. Bella giggled and did the same.

"Do you have any tables available?" my father asked, playing his part.

"Uh, I'm not sure. We're pretty booked. I need to go get the manager," the lady stammered, not taking her eyes off me. I figured it worked for my brother so I flashed her a smile and evoked an audible gasp. She stumbled and my father reached out to catch her.

"I know you're probably crazy with graduation. We can go somewhere else."

"No, no, we are, but I'm sure he'll want you to stay so…"

Emmett was staring at Charlie expectantly. Bella's dad sighed but raised his voice. "Actually, some of our party isn't going to make it tonight either so they're welcome to sit with us."

"We're old friends," Emmett told the hostess.

"Okay, um, sure. Tom will seat you." Tom grabbed more menus and led us through the restaurant. Every single eye in the place was on me so I fell behind Bella even though I wanted to hold her. I saw phones appearing and cleared my throat. Bella ducked her head a bit more and hurried next to her father.

We arrived at a table near the back, which was cool, although we were close to the bathroom. "Eddie, you here." Emmett pointed so that my back would be to the majority of the restaurant. I sat there in the corner. "Pretty brunette that I've yet to be introduced to, next to him." Bella sat, shoulders shaking with laughter. I put my hand on her knee and she twined her fingers with mine. I immediately felt better just having that little bit of contact with her.

"Little boy, you next." He grunted when Alice walked past him and I had a feeling that she got a shot of some sort in. "The lovely Celia next to her. Hank, you here." He beamed at them. "I'm so excited to get more time with you. I'd like to hear more about that little town of yours and your insurance business. I'm sure it's quite exciting!"

Emmett pulled the chair at the head of the table out and held it out for Rose. "Stunning blonde, I'm looking forward to getting to know _you._ " Charlie cleared his throat and Emmett laughed. "Ma, you sit across from Eddie, Dad next to her, then you, Charlie. I'll sit next to this beautiful flower." He kissed Sue's hand and I swear Charlie groaned.

"Actually, I think I'll sit next to you, Emmett. We can continue discussing your views on capital punishment."

Emmett looked nervous but nodded as everybody fell into place. "I don't think even the law should take another man's life, Charlie, especially when that man is a good and wonderful person."

"If he's so wonderful, why is he in trouble?" Charlie asked.

"Maybe he was led astray by someone, a younger brother perhaps." I glared at Emmett who shrugged. "Or maybe he was raised by absentee parents and was a latchkey kid." I snickered as I remembered him telling Mom that he was one when he stole the spaghetti and got us both in trouble. Mom shot him a look with a raised eyebrow. "I'm just saying, you have to consider a person's circumstances before you execute them."

Tom handed out our menus and asked for drink orders which we quickly placed. As soon as he moved away, Emmett lowered his voice. "Alright, people are finally starting to look away from us. There's a table full of girls that are about to have simultaneous orgasms…ow!" he murmured when Charlie poked him with his fork. "Well, it's true. They're plotting, I can tell. Bathroom trips are about to start, I'd bet a million bucks on it. Want to bet me, Charlie?" he asked.

"No," was the gruff response.

"Fine. Anyway, they got pictures of you, Edward, but none of the girls. They had zero interest in them, for obvious reasons. One of them is eyefucking me right now. Damn it, Charlie, stop stabbing me. Rosie, don't go kick her ass, you know you have my heart."

Rose snorted. "I have other parts of you too, Cullen, and don't you forget it." Please don't let us hear about those parts. "Plus, she's probably only trying to get to Edward through you like the rest do."

"Hey! I'll have you know that I've had plenty of women…" he broke off at the thunderous look on Charlie's face. "Tell me that I'm a sweet, virginal young man," he finished, smiling nervously. "Are you sure you can't switch places with Sue?"

"Quite sure. Let's hear more about these women," Charlie suggested.

"Nothing to tell. You know I can't see another woman now that I've seen my Rose." Emmett smiled at her and Rose just laughed and shook her head.

"You noticed one eyefucking you," she pointed out. They fell silent as the waiter reappeared with some guy by his side.

"Hello, I'm Sid Murphy, manager here, and we just wanted to welcome you to Max's. If there's anything I can do or get for you, please let me know and I'll take care of it personally."

Emmett's eyes widened and he grinned brightly. Charlie cleared his throat before he could say whatever it was he was going to say. "As I'm sure you can imagine, we're a little worried about privacy. If you could just insure that nobody approaches, I'd appreciate it. I'm here to celebrate my daughter's graduation and the Cullens just happened to sit next to me there and we ran into one another here. I'd like this day to be about her, if you know what I'm saying."

"Absolutely, sir. I can assure that you'll have no trouble. Tom, here, will take care of anything you need and we'll be sure to give you as much privacy as we can."

"We'll need access to that employee elevator after dinner," Charlie told him.

"I'll make sure of it, sir."

"Thank you," Charlie told him. We all placed our orders after he left and I leaned a little toward Bella.

"Happy first public date," I whispered.

She laughed. "I'm having a good time."

So was I. It was fun to watch my brother and Charlie butt heads, but I would prefer one on one with Bella. That was dessert, though. "I'll make it up to you one day," I promised her.

Her fingers tightened on mine. "I'm happier than I've ever been, Edward. You have nothing to make up to me." But I did and I would. She deserved to show off her beautiful face to the world. Once we were publicly out, I could take her out in Hollywood and it wouldn't be such a big deal. They'd get tired of us eventually.

"Incoming," Emmett murmured. Bella turned to look at me and I watched out of the corner of my eye as three girls made their way to the bathroom, their eyes glued to me, nudging one another and giggling. "Told you," Em pointed out to Charlie.

"And I didn't take your bet, did I?" he asked.

Emmett pouted over that fact. "You should have. Has your father always been such a stick in the mud, Bella?"

She giggled and turned to answer him just as the girls came out of the bathroom, one of them aiming a camera phone our way. There was no way Bella's face wouldn't be front on center in the picture.

"Fuck. Emmett, phone."

Emmett's eyes narrowed and he stood quickly. "Oh, my God, that is such a cool phone!" he hollered. "Do you mind if I see it? What brand is this?" The stunned blonde girl said nothing as my brother took her phone. "Does this have talk and text capability? What about memo recording? Can you take video?" He jabbered away as he led the girls back to their table. "This is really cool." A waiter walked by with a pitcher of ice water and the next thing we all knew, my brother had thrown the phone into the water. "Oops! Slippery little sucker."

The girl's jaw dropped and she cried, "My phone!"

"I'm so, so sorry!" Em told her, looking horrified and fluttering around. "Here, let me pay for that." He took out his wallet and handed the poor, shell-shocked girl several hundred more than the phone was probably worth. The entire restaurant was watching with fascination as Emmett fished the phone out of the water and wrapped it in a napkin. "I'll just take this to my phone guy. He can probably fix it. Once again, I'm very sorry about your phone."

He smiled at the rest of the restaurant patrons. "Please, go back to your fine dining. I don't think I'm going to need to borrow any of your phones, at least I hope not!" The threat in his tone was clear. "I thought not. Enjoy your meal."

With that, my brother returned to our table. Rose, Alice and Bella were all laughing their asses off while the adults at the table looked more than a little mortified.

"Really, Emmett, did you have to do that?" Mom asked, shaking her head.

"Hey, I doubt anybody is going to take a picture of Eddie again until we get up to leave. That was the point, after all."

"Destruction of property, creating a public nuisance, threatening innocent people…you give me one good reason why I shouldn't arrest you," Charlie demanded.

"There's your reason," he pointed at me and Bella. "I did it for them."

"You'd do anything to protect your brother, huh?" Charlie asked, his voice softer.

"And Bella. She's my little sister already, whether you like it or not," Emmett replied, pouting.

"I think I like it," Charlie told him, a smile stretching across his face as Emmett just gaped at him. "What you lack in subtlety you make up for in loyalty. I can respect that."

"I knew you liked me!" Emmett was grinning like a fool.

"I wouldn't go that far," Charlie responded, deflating him a bit. "But Rose does and I want her to be happy, so I'll tolerate you." Emmett smiled again. "I reserve the right to change my opinion if you get her or any of these others arrested."

"Yes, sir," Emmett replied happily. "I promise not to get them arrested."

"What if I get arrested for murdering him, Charlie?" Alice asked, smiling sweetly.

"I'll get the top criminal defense attorney that money can buy and do some evidence tampering," was Charlie's quick response. We all laughed as Emmett gaped like a fish.

"No fair! Edward does his own d…" he broke off at the glare I gave him. He better never complete that sentence in front of my future father-in-law. "Never mind." Damn right.

Dinner arrived and we settled into quiet conversations as we ate. "So, does the food live up to your expectations?" I asked Bella.

She smiled. "It's good, but I'm looking forward to dessert."

I groaned and leaned toward her again. "You're such a tease, baby. What do you have in store for me?"

Bella giggled and cut her steak. "Let's just say that you're going to find out what it's like to be in your brother's shoes for once."

What did that mean? She wasn't going to beat me with a coat hanger or whatever weird shit Rose and Emmett did, was she? God only knew what ideas Rose had put into her head. Bella laughed at the expression on my face. "It won't hurt too much," she promised.

Oh, fuck. I didn't know if it was a good or bad thing, but I was hard. Was I some weirdo pain freak now? Did my brother and I have some strange genetic marker that made us get off on it? Did I want leather and whips and shit? I didn't think I did, but why was I turned on? Because of Bella, of course. She would always turn me on.

I tried to clear my mind and eat my steak, though my appetite was diminished. It was pretty good, anyway. "At least you have better company this time out, right?"

Bella smiled. "The best." I'd always be that for her, I swore it.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw some guy head into the bathroom. Even though my brother was holding court at the end of the table, making Rose and Alice and even the Brandons and Charlie and Sue laugh, he had his eyes on the rest of the restaurant. Maybe he should go into security someday when he was done being a stuntman.

The guy came out of the bathroom and his eyes cut my way. No camera, thankfully, so I didn't sweat it. But then he blinked a few times and smiled before heading our way. "Bella, is that you?"

Who was this guy and why was he looking at _my_ girl like he wanted to take a bite out of her. Bella let out a quiet groan next to me before smiling at the interloper. "Hi, Mike."

Mike? Mike Mike? Newton? Her stalker? Of course her stalker was here. That just figured. I hadn't seen his face last time, due to my disguise. "Hey! How, um, do you know these guys?" he asked, gesturing at me. I couldn't help it; I was glaring at the little fuck while Emmett was poised to spring if necessary.

"My father met them at graduation and we asked them to join us at dinner," Bella replied smoothly. I slid my left hand onto her thigh under the table. I wanted, badly, to put my arm around her but we'd gotten this far without incident.

"Oh. Well, that's cool. Not every day you eat with a celebrity." He laughed nervously and ran his hands through his blond hair. "So, were you guys going to come to the party tonight? You're welcome to bring your boyfriend, remember?" His eyes cut to me for a second and I tried to look aloof and disinterested even though I wanted to tell him she and her boyfriend had plans later. Naked plans that he would never, ever be invited to.

"I remember, but I'm going to spend some time with my dad and stuff. You know how it is."

"Sure. Well, it'll go late, so maybe after…"

"Move along, Newton," Rose told him, flicking her wrist. "And don't go jabbering about us having dinner with the Cullens to all your gossip buddies. I really don't want all the crazies coming after me just because I met these two today, got it?" Her voice was pure steel and Mike gulped.

"Sure, Rose. I mean, who would I tell, right?"

"Everybody," she replied. "Just like you mouthed off about Bella's boyfriend. If I get one email, phone call or text about this, I'll know just who to blame, won't I?"

Rose was damn scary. My brother looked like he was about ready to tackle her to the floor and take her in front of everybody in the restaurant and Mike the stalker looked like he wanted to die. Good. He should.

While I couldn't quite stake my claim the way I wanted to, I could show this loser that he wasn't remotely in Bella's league. "So, you have a boyfriend, beautiful?" I asked, sounding disappointed. "I hope he knows how lucky he is."

Mike's blue eyes widened as Bella laughed and leaned into me a little. "He knows. But you know, you could always give me your number, in case he forgets."

"I'll have to do that," I told her, giving her my sexiest smile before turning my gaze back to him. "It was nice meeting you, Mark."

"Um, yeah." He didn't bother to correct me on the incorrect name I'd given to show him how truly unimportant he was. "I'll just get back to my parents. It was nice seeing you again, Bella. If you get a chance…" he broke off at the look on my face. "Okay, then, bye."

"Bye, Mike." He scooted off without another look.

"I can't believe we ran into your stalker," I told Bella.

"Stalker?" Charlie looked like he was about to get up and go after him.

"The nuisance, Chief. Bella's done a good job keeping him at bay since freshman year, but he still asks her out constantly." Rose laughed. "It's actually pretty amusing."

"And sad," Alice supplied.

Mom laughed. "Your face, Edward. I don't think I've ever seen you jealous before."

"It is new," Dad observed.

"He knows he has nothing to be jealous of," Bella assured, squeezing my hand which remained on her leg under the table. "He's just a bit of a pain, Dad. Nothing to worry about."

"Better not be," he muttered. "All these boys fluttering around. I should have sent you to an all girl's college."

"She still would have found Edward, Charlie," Emmett pointed out helpfully. "And who knows who else she might have gone trolling for. Internet pervs, priests at the girl's school…ow! What?"

"Don't bring religious figures into your perversions, boy," Charlie scolded.

"I'm just saying, she did alright after all," Emmett told him, rubbing at his hand where Charlie's fork had poked him.

"She did," her father agreed, making me smile.

Bella grinned at him. "Thanks, Dad."

"Yeah, well, he knows," Charlie muttered. "And he knows he better not hurt you."

"Never," I vowed.

"Good. Now let's get back to eating unless there are any more boys lusting after you that I'm going to have to dispose of," Charlie told the girls.

Emmett grinned. "Well, there is definitely a boy…ow! Did you kick me?" he asked Rose.

"No," she responded. "But I can guess who did."

"Oh,yeah." Em grinned at Alice before turning to me. "You know, Eddie, we should have gotten Alice a pendant, too. Something made of jasper, perhaps."

"I hate you," she told him hotly.

"What are they talking about, dear?" Celia asked Alice.

"Nothing, Mom." Her glare dared Emmett to elaborate. "We'll talk about it later."

"Yes, I think we will," her mother replied.

Eventually, dinner was done. My parents tried to reach for the check but Charlie waved them off. "This was on me. You can get it next time." I loved that he admitted there would be a next time. I stood and helped Bella to her feet before releasing her hand quickly.

"It was nice meeting you," I told her, in case anyone was listening.

"You too," she replied with a grin. Sid the manager appeared to guide us out of the restaurant and I fell into step with my parents. The girls walked behind us so that when the phones started snapping again, they'd be blocked from view, though after my brother's phone performance earlier, I only saw a couple aimed our way.

We split up when we got into the hallway, with Emmett loudly telling Charlie how much he enjoyed meeting him and that they should get together to play golf some day. Like my brother ever played golf a day in his life. Sid took the others to the back elevator and we stepped into the public one.

"That went well," Emmett decided.

Mom cuffed him upside the head. "What in the hell were you thinking throwing that poor girl's phone in water?"

"I was trying to protect Bella!" he protested, cowering away from her. "You want her protected, don't you?"

"That was the only thing saving me from dragging you out of that restaurant," my mother told him.

"Mama! What else could I do? I had to destroy it so the picture wouldn't get out!"

"This is why you're always going to jail," Mom decided. "Five times! I haven't forgotten!"

Emmett looked at my father pleadingly. "Dad, help your favorite son out."

Dad chuckled. "He doesn't appear to be in any trouble." That made Emmett pout harder. "Seriously, though, I'm with your mother on this one. You're lucky that girl didn't call the cops."

"What? It could have been an honest accident."

"But it clearly wasn't. You need to leave the acting to your brother, son."

"Yeah, you know, Edward could have just gone and charmed the pants off them and gotten them to delete that photo and take others of him. You didn't have to resort to throwing phones in water," Mom informed him.

"I'm a man of action!" he protested as the doors opened and we headed outside. "I had to think on my feet and Eddie needed me! He's not complaining, are you?"

My parents both eyed me and I shrugged. "His way worked."

Emmett opened the doors and there they were. Flashbulbs were going off, girls were screaming and people were yelling my name. Fuck. "Stay back!" Emmett hollered. He ran to the car and pulled it around, laying on the horn and driving until the paps backed away because he was going to run them over if they didn't.

"Where's your cousin? Who were you eating with? Why did you break that girl's phone?" The questions were rapid fire as we pushed through the bodies toward the car. Emmett took off as soon as we got in.

"Strap in!" he hollered as he took off. I could see some paps hopping into cars and vans in the rearview mirror. I wasn't worried. I knew Emmett could shake them.

Xoxoxoxoxo

When we got to the apartment complex, I was pleased to see nothing. No reporters, no lurking stalkers, nothing. We hurried inside and I had Bella in my arms again moments later. "Hey, baby."

"Hey!" She hugged and kissed me. "You made it."

"We did. It wasn't easy and I think my parents nearly lost their dinner a few times."

Mom pushed me aside so she could hug Bella. "I did not. But I doubt I'll be able to sleep tonight without visions of slamming into walls at a hundred miles an hour in my head."

"We were never near a wall!" Emmett protested. "I'm a good driver, Ma!"

"Yes, you're a very good driver," Mom pacified him. "Where's Alice?"

"She and her parents went out for awhile," Bella told her.

Mom smiled and linked arms with her. "That's nice. Now I can kidnap you and Rose without feeling too guilty about it. Can I see your room?" Bella shot me a glance and I shrugged, trying not to pout over the fact that naked time was being delayed yet again. Mom pried Rose away from Emmett and they went into Bella's room, closing the door.

"Should we worry about that?" Em asked me.

I didn't think so. "Nah, Mom loves them. She wouldn't want to scare them away."

"Good." He flopped down next to Charlie on the couch. "Thanks for dinner, Charlie and Sue. It was awesome."

"You're welcome," Charlie responded, flipping the channels and settling on a Mariner's game. Sue just laughed and reached into a bag, pulling out some knitting. I had a feeling they spent many a night this way.

"You like baseball?" Emmett asked.

"What's not to like?"

"Well, damn, we could have been talking about that instead of death threats all this time. I pitched in high school."

"He did," Dad replied. "Could have gone pro if he hadn't torn a ligament in his elbow."

"Really?" And they were off, talking about baseball.

Dad turned to me. "Did Kate send you anything?"

Shit. I hadn't checked my phone in all the excitement. I had several texts.

_Word's out about your location. Be prepared for photogs._

_Did Emmett really throw some girl's phone into water? Doesn't the boy know the meaning of the word subtle? On the bright side, only a few pics of the back of your head and tons of Emmett and the phone incident._

I showed my Dad that text and he laughed and shook his head.

_Lots of pics of you leaving. You can see that there are people behind you but no features. You just may have pulled this shit off._

Thank God.

_So Emmett nearly killed several paps. Why am I not surprised? I'm assuming you got away as I haven't heard anything else._

I better text her.

**All's well. Emmett lost the paps and we switched cars. We should be safe.**

A minute later my phone buzzed.

_Good. You may want to pull some evasive maneuvers in the morning. My guess is they'll be looking for you at the airport._

She was right about that. "We'll need to split from the girls at the airport."

"No problem. We're going out of the private hanger. We'll send the girls through there and you and I will go through the main part of the airport. They'll be stashed away on the plane while the press follows us. Nobody will be the wiser. I'll call Jody," Em decided. Jody was the pilot and I knew he could hook us up. Good. We just might pull this off after all.

"Listen, bitches, why don't either of you answer your phones? I saw that Edward…" I whirled around at the voice in the hallway that cut off in an unholy shriek when the brunette standing there caught sight of me. "Oh my God!"

"What the fuck?" Emmett demanded, as he got to his feet. Charlie reached for the gun that wasn't there and Dad moved next to me as I stood, holding out a hand because I recognized the look in those eyes. She was going to come at me.

"Edward!" she shrieked, just as Bella's door opened and my girl streaked out to stand in front of me.

"Back the fuck off, Jessica, right now." She was coming and Bella wasn't stopping her. Shit.

Rose strode over and grabbed her from behind just as she tried to reach through Bella to get to me. "Jess, I will flatten you if you don't step back."

"He's here!" she screamed, struggling.

"Damn it, Emmett, hold her," Rose ordered. He moved to do so, pulling her back a few feet. My girl was shaking in front of me.

"Baby?" Are you okay?" She turned and I saw the fury blazing out of her eyes. Holy shit, she was sexy when she was mad.

"I'm fine," she told me through clenched teeth.

"Baby? What the fuck is going on here? Why is he touching you?" the girl, Jessica, I guess, was screeching.

"Can I backhand her?" Rose asked Charlie, who shook his head, making her sigh. "Damn it. Fine. Jess, shut the fuck up and we'll answer your questions. But before we do, I'm going to tell you one thing." Rose leaned over and got right in the girl's face, that scary look from earlier there. "If you breathe one word of this to anybody, I'll take you down. Do you understand me?"

"What?" Jessica asked, still struggling. "Why? What's he doing here?"

"He is my boyfriend," Bella informed her, her voice icy. "Not Todd, not Mike, not any other loser you've decided to pair me up with in the last month. Edward Cullen. And I'm sick to death of the way you're looking at him so if you want to be able to see out of either one of your eyes, you'll knock it off right now."

I wondered if I should say anything but I was afraid to talk to her and encourage her, or to get Bella's wrath aimed at me for not letting her handle it.

"Bella…" Charlie said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder, that she promptly shrugged off. I pulled her against me, trying to calm her a little with my touch. Jessica's eyes widened.

"He's touching you."

"He does a lot more than that," Bella announced, making me shrink away from the stink eye that I got from Charlie.

Rose snorted. "You tell her, Bella."

"All day long, I had to listen to you talk about the things you were going to do to find my boyfriend. _My boyfriend!"_ She was so sexy right now I couldn't even stand it. "He's not a person to you, he's just a thing. A sexy actor that you want to add to your collection of random fucks. Well you can't, because he's _mine."_

My girl was in a fine fury right now. "People like you are the reason why we haven't told anybody about us, you know? I had to wear a ridiculous hat and pretend not to know him at dinner just so we could have a date! And I don't mind because I love him! He's worth it! But if you would just back the hell off and realize that he's a real person with real feelings, maybe we wouldn't have to do shit like that." I felt guilty as hell. We should have just said fuck it and gone out without disguises. We would soon, damn it.

Jessica slumped a little in my brother's hold and he let her go. "I don't understand this," she said. "How did this happen?"

"I met Emmett when he was test driving his new car by driving up the coast," Rose supplied, giving the half-truth we'd decided upon. "We hit it off. Edward was with him and I invited them over. The rest is history."

"You've been dating Edward Cullen all this time and not said a word to me? You bitch!" Jessica shouted. "I thought we were friends!"

That set my girl off and she stomped over to her, jabbing her in the chest with her pointer finger. "Friends? All you do is insult and make fun of me. How is that being a friend?"

Jessica's mouth opened and closed a bunch of times. "It's teasing. You guys give each other shit all the time. I'm not allowed to?"

"You're mean, Jessica. We tease, joke around. There's nothing teasing in what you say," Bella informed her.

"You let go on and on this morning knowing exactly where Edward was and who he was here to see." Jessica's eyes teared up and I shifted nervously. I didn't want her to cry, even if she was kind of rude and potentially crazy.

"Yes, I did, because I was protecting him from you. He'll be leaving tomorrow and I wanted to get out of town without shit like this going down." Bella turned to me. "I'm sorry, baby."

I crossed to her, pulling her into a hug. "You have nothing to apologize for, love. If she's going to out us, there's nothing we can do about it."

"Oh yes there is." Rose leaned over and whispered something into Jessica's ear. Whatever it was made her go bone white, which was an accomplishment since she was some odd orange color before that. "And I won't hesitate to make that public, Jess. So you better think twice about saying anything about this."

"Who'd believe me anyway? Who would believe that Bella Swan could land Edward Cullen?" My hands formed into fists and I sincerely thought about hitting a girl for the first time in my life.

"Excuse me?" Charlie's voice was lethal. "Did you just imply that my daughter isn't good enough for Edward? Is that what you said?" He stalked toward her and she shrank back.

"Er, no, it's just…"

"It's just my ass. My daughter is a wonderful woman who more than deserves Edward. If anything, it's the other way around. So don't you dare come into my daughter's apartment, trespassing by the way as you weren't invited, and insult her or I'll have you arrested."

Emmett cheered as Jessica looked more and more terrified. "I think perhaps you should leave," my mother suggested mildly, although the look in her eyes belied her tone. "And I think you should think long and hard before you tell anybody where my son is. I would be severely upset if Bella's graduation party were to get interrupted again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes." Jessica's eyes were wide in her pale face. "I won't say anything. I'm…I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, Bella. I just…I should go."

"Yes, you should." Rose turned her toward the doorway.

Jessica shot one last look over her shoulder. "It was nice meeting you," she said to me, which nearly made me laugh. Emmett did laugh.

"I would say the same if you hadn't upset the girl I love." At that, her jaw dropped again. "Perhaps we'll meet again someday under better circumstances. That'll be up to you and whether you keep quiet about this."

"I will!" She smiled then and I smiled back, though it was a fake one. "I'll talk to you later Bella. I'm sorry if I insulted you."

"Bye, Jess," Bella murmured, not looking away from me. Jessica turned and left.

Charlie followed behind her. "And that's why we lock the door," he scolded us when he returned.

"Oops, sorry," Emmett said. He had been the last one in. I was first, of course. All I could think of was getting to my girl.

"I think it might be time for all of us to leave," Mom announced, shooting a look at Charlie.

He met her gaze and nodded. "I think so. Come here, Bells." He pulled her into his arms and hugged her. "I'm so very proud of you. Don't you ever let anybody bring you down, you hear me? You're too good for every single boy out there, including this one."

"Very true," I agreed, which made Bella laugh.

"You have fun in Europe and you call me if you need anything."

"I will, Dad." She kissed him on the cheek and then was enveloped in my Mom's arms.

"Remember what I said," Mom told her. What had she said? I'd ask later.

"I will. Thanks, Esme."

"You take care and let me know if my boy steps out of line."

Bella laughed. "I will."

Dad hugged her next. "I'd say the same but we both know their mother is all you need on your side and they'll do whatever you want."

Charlie hugged Rose. "And you call me if that boy hurts you."

Rose laughed. "I do the hurting, Charlie." I winced, because it was true.

Charlie chuckled. "All the same."

"I will. Bye, Chief."

Mom hugged and kissed Rose next, telling her the same thing she'd told Bella. Sue gave the girls both hugs as Charlie shook my hand.

"I'm trusting you with her. Don't let me down."

"I won't."

His eyes studied me for a minute. "I believe that."

"Do I get a hug, Charlie?" Emmett demanded.

"No. You get to live. Consider that a gift."

Mom laughed as she hugged me. "Have a safe trip and keep that girl smiling. She's got spine, doesn't she?" I nodded and Mom grinned. "Good. I'll give her more before it's all said and done."

"Scary," I told her.

"You know it. Love you. Send me a text when you get there."

"I will." After more goodbyes, they finally took off.

"Alone at last!" Emmett said. "Let's go, Rosie."

"Wait," Bella said, stopping me from scooping her up and depositing her in her room. "What did you threaten Jess with?" she asked Rose.

Oh yeah, I'd wondered about that as well.

Rose laughed. "Jess has some very bad habits." She sniffed and Bella's jaw dropped open. "Yep. I saw the signs and I found some coke in her room one time. I never said anything, but I will if she opens her fat trap. I'm pretty sure she's a klepto, too, but that's another story for another day."

"Yeah, we have to be up in about six hours to go the airport. I'd like some time before, if you know what I mean," Emmett said suggestively.

Bella grinned and held out a hand to me. I didn't need any more prompting. We were in her room in record time. I pressed her up against the door and kissed her hard. "You were so fucking hot when you were yelling at Jessica," I told her, running my hands down her body. She moaned and rubbed against me.

"You were sexy when you glared at Mike. I know you wanted to punch him. I kind of wanted you to."

I laughed as I unzipped her dress. "I could go to that party and do it now if you want."

She giggled and pulled away from me. "Sit on the bed. I have to get your surprise ready."

Surprise? Oh, right. The thing that wouldn't hurt much. "Baby, I'm not sure that…"

"Trust me, Edward."

Because I did, I sat on the bed. I tugged off my jacket as she rooted through her drawers. "No whips or chains, baby, please?"

She laughed as she scooted into the bathroom. "Get naked, Cullen."

Well, even if it hurt a little, part of it would feel good. The part where I was buried inside her, that was.

My clothes were off and I leaned back against her headboard, waiting to see what she had in store. Hopefully it wasn't Rose's dominatrix outfit. Even if she'd be sexy as hell. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she didn't hit me hard.

The door opened and I nearly swallowed my tongue when Bella stepped into the doorway. "Holy shit," I said, causing her to giggle.

"Is that any way to talk to an officer of the law, Cullen?" she demanded. She whipped off the mirrored sunglasses she was wearing and tossed them aside, strolling into the room slowly. She was wearing the sexiest cop outfit that had ever been created. Short shorts that may as well have been underwear, a tight blue shirt that her breasts spilled out of since it was only partially buttoned, a baton looped through her belt and holy fuck, handcuffs. And she even had a hat and boots. Dear God, I was going to die. But what a way to go.

"Bella, you look…" I breathed. She whipped out her baton and smacked her hand with it, making me jump.

"Officer Swan to you, boy."

So hot. "Officer Swan, you look incredibly sexy."

Her beautiful smile flashed before she turned stern. God, I loved this. "It seems to me that you cause a lot of trouble wherever you go, Cullen. You make teenage girls act crazy, create public disturbances and drive grown women wild."

She reached the bed and straddled me. I touched her silky legs and she rapped me lightly with her stick. "No touching. It seems you can't even behave yourself in private."

"No, I really can't," I agreed with her. I'd agree with anything she said right now.

"I'm going to have to lock you up for your own protection." Lock me up? Oh, hell. She unlooped the handcuffs from her belt and smirked at me. "Hands up." This was the best day ever. Even if Jessica ratted us out and a million people waited outside Bella's front door, I didn't care. Right here and now, this was amazing.

I held my hands straight over my head, making her laugh. "Through the rungs of the headboard." Oh shit, even hotter. I scooted down and reached between the rungs and she leaned over, putting her tits in my face as she snapped the cold steel over my wrists. They were real. I wondered for a second if she'd gotten then from her father but then realized I really didn't really want to know that.

"There, now you won't be able to cause any more trouble," Bella told me.

"I'll be good," I assured her, making her laugh.

"Damn right you will." She ran her stick over my chest, making me tense a little. She wasn't going to use that thing on me, was she? "Now, I'm going to have to search you to make sure you're not carrying any illegal substances."

I clenched, I couldn't help it. She wasn't going to stick that stick where the sun didn't shine, was she? "Officer Swan…"

"Yes?" she asked, leaning over and running her tongue over my neck. I groaned at how good it felt.

"You're not going to put that stick anywhere it doesn't belong, are you?"

She giggled and bit my neck. "No." She tossed it aside along with her hat. "Not unless you resist arrest."

I grinned in relief. "You have me at your mercy."

"It seems I do. Now let me get back to my search and seizure." Seizure? My eyes crossed when she gripped my dick tightly. Oh, that was good seizure. Her lips moved all over my chest, shoulders and jaw. She wasn't kissing my lips, but everywhere else as she pumped my cock. I did my best not to resist arrest, even though I was burning to touch her. It was probably a good thing I was cuffed or I couldn't have stopped myself.

Her lips cruised down my stomach and she nipped at my hip bones with her teeth. "So far so good, Mr. Cullen. But I fear you might be smuggling something, so I'm going to have to do some investigating."

"Investigate away," I told her. The next thing I knew, her mouth was wrapped around my cock and I was struggling against my bonds. "Fuck!" I called as she took me deep in her throat before releasing me.

"Soon," she said. "I think I've found something." And then I was back in her mouth and she was bobbing up and down, using her wicked tongue on the underside of my cock, driving me insane.

"Officer, I'm going to…" I grunted, fighting not to come.

"Give it to me, Cullen. I want to know what you have in here," she told me, before she engulfed me again. She pulled my hips to her face and went to town on me.

"Shit!" I yelled as her fingers cupped my balls and squeezed. I came, shooting my load inside her hot, perfect little mouth. She swallowed and released me, smiling.

"It would seem you were hiding a little something, Cullen, but I've confiscated it."

Best confiscation ever. "There's more where that came from," I managed when my brain started working again.

Bella snickered. "Is that so? Well I'll take it all."

"It's yours."

She sat up and I watched with interest as she undid her shirt, letting her beautiful breasts out. She took it off and leaned forward. "Would you like to be released, Cullen?"

Not really. Not at all. But I had a feeling that wasn't what I was supposed to say. "Yes, Officer Swan."

"What are you willing to do to get free?" she asked, running her hands lightly over my chest. God it felt good, even the simplest touch of her hands on me.

"Anything," I told her. I'd do anything for this woman, anything at all.

She leaned closer, her breasts right in my face. "You better get to work then. Earn your release."

I didn't need any further prompting. I sucked on her nipple, licking and biting. Bella moaned and rocked against me, shifting when she wanted the other nipple to get some attention. She tugged on my hair and held me to her chest as I did everything she demanded, with and without words. It wasn't long before I was hard again.

She stood up and smiled down at me as she took off those tiny shorts. "I'm afraid you haven't quite earned your release, yet, but you've been a model prisoner so far and have earned a reward."

"I like rewards." I liked, very much, the way she looked, naked and flushed and completely sexy.

She straddled me again and rubbed herself against my cock. "Are you ready to do some hard time, Cullen?"

Fuck me. She was perfection. Every single time. "Yes, Officer Swan."

She took me inside her, sinking down, her mouth slightly open, a little puff of air escaping as I filled her. "Oh yes, this is some very hard time." She rocked against me. I pulled on the cuffs a little. God I wanted to touch her, but being restrained was hot as hell.

"All day long I had to hear Jessica talk about what she wanted to do to you." I groaned as she rose up and sank down on me again. "And all day I knew exactly what I was going to be doing to you. I had to sit next to you at dinner and pretend that I wasn't imagining you here, in my bed, naked and at my mercy. Do you know what that's like?"

"Sort of. I didn't know about what you had planned, but I knew I couldn't wait to have you just like this."

"Mmm, I bet you were sitting at that table thinking about touching me."

"I was," I admitted. She started to move faster. So good. So wet and tight and wonderful.

"But you're not allowed to touch me, are you? Does that drive you crazy?" Her voice was sexy and breathy. Her breasts started to bounce as she hit a good rhythm. I arched my hips toward her, giving her all I could from this position.

"Yes," I grunted as she bounced a little harder. "But it's so hot."

"It is hot," she murmured, cupping her breasts, making me moan. So sexy. "Having you at my mercy, to do anything that I want to you. I could keep you like this for days if I so desired. What would you think of that?"

Dear God. "It would be heaven and hell," I told her. It would. Not being able to touch her would be the worst hell, but having her do whatever she wanted to me would be sweet heaven.

She laughed lightly as she rode me harder. "I think it would be the same for me. I love this, seeing you, helpless, at my will like this. But I do miss your hands. Your strong, talented hands that can make me scream. You're going to have to make me scream with just your cock this time. Can you handle it?"

Jesus. I was going to shoot my load if she kept talking like that. "I can." I bucked up and heard her moan so I did it again. "Take me, Officer."

"I am," she told me, fucking me faster. I needed to touch her, to taste her, but I couldn't. So I met her thrusts and watched as her eyes glazed and her breathing got harder, her skin flushed with sweat, her pink lips puckered. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life and giving her this control, when we'd had none earlier, was important, I knew.

"So close," she murmured. Thank God. I felt that tingling in my balls and knew it wouldn't be long. She leaned forward, took me deeper, and she screamed my name as she came around me. As soon as she tightened around my cock, I exploded inside her, coming hard.

Bella collapsed against me and that's when I missed touching her the most. I wanted to put my arms around her. "Officer Swan, have I earned my freedom?" I asked urgently. She peered up at me and nodded before she reached onto the nightstand and grabbed the key. I got a face full of tit again which was never a problem as she unlocked the cuffs. She rubbed at my wrists but I brushed her hands away and pulled her against me. "I missed holding you."

She sighed and kissed me softly. "Me too. That was fun, though."

"Damn right it was," I agreed. "We're totally doing that again." And I'd have her cuffed next time.

She giggled. "I figured I'd do it here rather than trying to get this getup on a plane. I might have my bag searched then."

Damn. The cuffs had to stay behind. Well, we could get some over there. "Good plan, baby."

"I thought so. That would be a shitty way to have our relationship exposed."

I laughed picturing the sex freak headlines. "True." I stroked her cheek. "I'm sorry about Jessica."

Bella shrugged. "I'm only sorry I didn't punch her. But I don't think she'll tell."

"I don't care if she does, baby. I really just don't want you to get harassed on vacation. There were tons of paps outside the restaurant."

"I heard." She sighed. "I know there's good and bad to this, but I know that the good is going to outweigh the bad no matter what because I love you."

"I love you, too. Nothing they do, say or write is going to change that."

Bella smiled. "Well, then, bring them on. We made it through this test, we'll survive the rest." Of that I had no doubt. We could survive anything together. That's when I remembered.

"Baby, I forgot to give you your other present."

Bella blinked a few times. "You already got me the pendant. That's more than enough, Edward."

Like hell. The key was in my bag and I really didn't want to move away from her warm, naked body to get it so I reached over and took the handcuff key off the nightstand and handed it to her.

Bella looked at it and back at me. "Um, thanks, I think I already had that though," she said with a giggle.

I snickered and kissed her nose. "It's not your present; it's a symbol of your present because I can't get up right now. You wore me the hell out."

Bella smiled triumphantly. "Okay, what exactly does it symbolize?"

I smirked. "Another key."

She stared at me for a few moments. "A key to what?"

Here we go. "Let's just say that it has a tag on it with the number fifteen."

It took a couple of seconds but then I saw it sink in. "Our cabin? You bought me our cabin?"

I smirked. "No." Her face fell and I ran my thumb along her jaw. "I bought us our cabin."

"Edward!" She threw her arms around me and hugged me tight. I squeezed her back, loving how she felt and how happy she was.

"I thought about buying us a new place in Colorado or Wyoming or something and we can still do that, but I wanted our place as well. I wanted to show you that no matter how much attention we get, we'll always have that perfect spot to get away to."

Bella pulled back, her eyes shining with happiness. "I can't believe you did it, but I'm so happy you did."

I held her face in my hands. "We said that we loved each other for the first time there and I want to say it to you over and over again in that exact spot."

"We will. I love you, so much," she promised.

I kissed her. "I love you, too. I'll love you everywhere we go, but especially there."

She smiled. "How did you make it happen?"

Money talks, baby. "Took some doing, but I got it done."

"Our place," she murmured.

"Our first place. We have more to come." Anywhere she wanted.

"I'll be happy wherever we go, as long as we're together."

"Then you'll be happy always." I'd see to it.

* * *


	45. Chapter 45

The blaring alarm made Bella grumble and burrow her head under her pillow. I snickered as I turned it off and kissed the back of her neck as I got out of bed.

"How can you possibly be so awake?" she mumbled, peering up at me with one eye half opened.

She asked me this question every single morning for the past three weeks since we'd been in the hotel. Well, at least every morning that she was actually there. The girls had already traveled to Paris and Rome for a three day stay each time. But they made it a point to be back on the weekend, when I actually had some down time to spend with Bella. Not that we'd done anymore than hang in the hotel and watch movies and eat dinner in at this point, but it was something.

"Habit, baby. Go back to sleep." She mumbled something that sounded like "love you" which made me smile. "I love you, too."

As I got ready, I couldn't help but think about how my life had changed since Bella came along. I was used to being alone in a hotel room for weeks on end and it never bothered me, but now that she was here, everything was just better. Hell, the few days I'd been without her when they'd been sightseeing in Paris and Rome had me missing her even more than I had before she got here, if that was possible. I guess the more time I spent with her; the more I craved having her there every day.

And she was now. It was almost mindboggling to think about the fact that we really had started our forever. Sure, only the people closest to us knew it, but they were all that mattered right now anyway. I'd been very nervous about what Jessica might say or do but so far she'd kept quiet. Rose really was scary as hell, so I couldn't blame her.

We'd gotten out of Seattle without incident. The girls had gone in ahead of us and been stashed on the plane before we even got to the airport. Emmett had, of course, made a rather large production while we were checking in and created a stir around the two of us that kept people's attention where it needed to be, on us. We'd landed in the middle of the night at a private airfield and once again taken separate cars so that the girls got to the hotel before we did. Subterfuge had worked well. Bella had the room right next to mine, not that she was really using it, but her stuff was in there and we messed up the sheets every night, sometimes in sexy ways and sometimes just making it look a little lived in.

Tonight, though, I was finally going to take her out. Well, meet her out, I guess. I'd had Martin arrange for us to have a private meal at Reinstoff, one of the top restaurants in Berlin. I'd learned from experience that most of the elite restaurants in Berlin are closed on Sunday and Monday nights so it seemed the perfect way to take her out without taking her out in front of the world. All it had taken was a little money and a promise to dine there on an actual night they were open so they could get some publicity and we were good. I was absurdly excited to have a real date with her, even if it was a real private date.

I ran my hand through my hair and headed back to the bedroom. Bella was sitting up, wearing one of my shirts and rubbing at her eyes. "Baby, what are you doing? Go back to sleep."

She laughed. "I can't. I'm too excited for tonight."

I had a few minutes so I sat next to her and kissed her lightly. "Me, too."

"You told Kate, just in case, right?"

"Yes, she's prepared should anybody let anything slip, but I think we'll be okay." She was meeting me at the restaurant and to everybody's knowledge it was closed tonight, so I felt pretty good about it. Security at the shoot had been great and the press wasn't really camping out to get pictures of me while I worked. One or two of those was all they needed because it wasn't that exciting. Nobody knew my girlfriend was in town with me and we were doing our best to keep it that way.

"Good," Bella said, resting her head on my shoulder. I stroked her tousled hair and enjoyed the moment with her.

"What do you have planned today?"

She laughed lightly and turned to face me. "Shopping for something to wear to dinner." I started to protest but she shook her head. "I know I don't have to dress up but I want to. So far the only time I've been dressed up around you was for dinner with another guy and for my graduation."

I scowled at the mention of the other guy which made her giggle and cup my face in her hands. "Which is exactly why I want to make myself pretty for you."

"You're always pretty for me, baby. Beyond pretty. Gorgeous."

She kissed me and I started to think about being late for work. There were far, far better things to be done than sit in makeup for an hour. Bella pulled back before I could push her back onto the bed and take her. "And I love that you think so, but still. This is our first solo date that doesn't take place in my apartment or the cabin…"

"Our cabin," I corrected, making her smile.

"Our cabin, that is. So, I want to go all out."

"Knock yourself out, baby. I'm not going to complain about you getting all dressed up for me." I'd have to grab a suit from wardrobe. Steven Steele actually wore a couple in this movie so it would be easy. And I'd send Martin out for some flowers or something. I bit my tongue before I asked her if she needed any money for her excursions.

We'd had our first, or I guess technically second if you counted the big one before we met, fight when I'd tried to get Bella to take money from me for her trip to Paris. What I'd discovered was that she would graciously accept gifts from me, but she didn't want me to physically give her money for her travels. As she'd pointed out, I'd paid for her to come over here, and for the hotel, and it was up to her to take care of expenses when she left the country. I wasn't thrilled with it but I understood her reluctance to take cash from me. I may have compensated by slipping cash to Alice, just in case. I didn't want Bella doing Europe on the cheap. Of course, the next time she experienced it would be with me and I'd make damn sure she had first class all the way. She deserved it.

"Yeah the girls are looking forward to doing some real shopping. And of course, the spa," she said dryly.

I grinned at her. "That's a present, so you're not allowed to get annoyed."

She laughed. "I could never get annoyed with you…"

"Unless I try to hand you money. No money this time," I pointed out smugly.

"Do you think I don't know why Alice randomly refused to stay at the hostels we had picked out in Rome and Paris and why she was willing to shell out of her own pocket to get us a real room?"

Damn. Busted. "I'm sure that Alice has very high standards," I tried but she put her hand over my mouth, laughing her ass off.

"Yes, and it's kind of you to finance those high standards of hers." She removed her hand and kissed me. "I'm not mad. It's actually kind of sweet that you want me to have the best."

Thank God. "I do, baby."

"I've already got it, with you. But I thank you for seeing to it that I have more." She kissed me again and then gave me a light shove when I tried to deepen it. "Go. I want to have our night and we won't get it if you're late to work."

She had a point. "Okay, love. I'll meet you there at seven?"

She nodded. "I know the drill. The car will be here at six. I'll be ready."

"Good." I kissed her again. "Get some more sleep and then have a good time today."

"I will. I can't wait to see you tonight."

I smiled. Neither could I. "Me either, baby. Have fun shopping. Buy something sexy."

Bella giggled and lay back down. "Count on it."

I very much was. I kissed her forehead and pulled the covers over her gorgeous body. This was the hardest part, leaving her warm and nearly naked in bed as I went to work. Still, it was better than her being halfway across the world any day. "Sweet dreams, baby."

Xoxoxoxoxox

"Everything arranged?" I asked Martin when I had a break. The guy had turned out to be a godsend on this shoot. He never questioned me, he always made sure that Bella's messages got to me in a timely fashion and he'd taken care of all my random requests since she'd arrived in Berlin, such as arranging the spa and cars for the girls and whatnot.

"Yes sir, the flowers will be in the limo. Everything's set at the restaurant and you'll have access to the back entrance of the hotel upon your return. Just call Mitzi, who's programmed into your phone, and she'll arrange to have you brought in."

I didn't bother correcting him on the sir thing. He kept calling me that no matter how many times I requested that he not.

"Thanks. Any messages?"

"Yes, sir, a couple texts, nothing urgent." He handed me my phone and I smiled when I saw Bella's.

_Mission accomplished. Now I'm headed to heaven at the hands of Sven._

I shook my head. She'd laughed when I'd gifted her with the spa trip, saying that I was really chancing her running off with Sven the masseuse.

**I can't wait to see what you're wearing, though you won't be wearing it for too long. And Sven may have magic hands, but I have magic everything.**

I turned to Kate's message and my smile faded.

_So the cousin angle's been debunked. David Cullen denies being related to you._

Well, that was to be expected. At least the guy kept quiet for a few weeks. I dialed her number. "Hey, Katie," I said when she answered.

"Hey cousinless Cullen," she replied.

"How are the phones?"

She laughed. "Loud and annoying. I just told them that you never claimed to be there to see David Cullen, just a family member. I refused to elaborate."

I chuckled. "I bet they loved that."

"Standard operating procedure, Edward. I know how to do my job. You ready for tonight?"

I smiled just thinking about it. "Yes, everything's set."

"Good, just be prepared in case this leaks. I don't like all these people knowing what you're up to."

I laughed. "It's only about three or four people, Katie."

"It only takes one, Edward. Don't you forget it."

No, I knew she was right. "I won't. Keep up the denials. It won't be for too much longer." I was determined that once this shoot was over, I was showing my girl off. She may have done Paris with Rose and Alice but she'd never done it with the man she loved. And for that matter, I hadn't seen any of these places with the woman I loved. It was time to rectify that.

"I know. I can't wait to meet her. Don't forget we'll be there in three weeks."

Kate was beside herself over the prospect of meeting Bella and Rose. "How could I forget? You remind me every two minutes."

"I have to because your head just wanders to Bella related things if I don't fill it with other things. Really, Edward, a girl could get a complex."

I chuckled. "I could never forget you, Kate."

"Yeah, because I won't let you. And you're afraid of me. Those two things combine to give us a perfect relationship."

"Says you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work so I can pay both our bills."

"True. I'm expecting a lovely raise for all the aggravation you've caused since you fell in love. I'll be sure to let you know what percentage we're talking."

She killed me. "Can't you just have Garrett siphon off funds unbeknownst to me?"

She laughed. "I'm saving that for my retirement in a couple years. He can go to jail while I shop on Rodeo Drive. It's a wonderful plan."

"Freeing you up for Clooney."

"Naturally. See, you get it. I knew I kept you around for some reason."

"Yeah, my looks."

"Can't be discounted but now that you're off the market it doesn't feel right to fantasize about running away with you. I just have to content myself with Clooney. At least he'll never get married and break my heart."

"Yeah, it's good that you've latched on to an eternal bachelor."

"You know it. Alright, go to work, woo the girl and call me tomorrow."

"Count on it. Bye Katie. Say hi to Garrett for me."

"He'll be sorry he missed you, but he'll call you in a day or two. He's got something to do with cologne to talk to you about."

"He wants me to wear one?"

She laughed. "I think he wants you to create one, or slap your name on one. Bella and I can have a good time picking out the Edward scent."

Oh Lord. "I'll talk to him later. Bye."

I had a text from Bella when I ended the call.

_I'm all about your magic everything, so I guess I'll tell Sven to take a hike. See you soon. I love you._

Damn right. Suck it, fake Sven.

**Sven will never recover from the heartbreak of losing you, but too bad for him. You're my everything. I love you, too. See you in a few hours.**

I handed the phone back to Martin after deleting our texts. Back to work. In a few hours I'd have my girl all to myself. I couldn't wait.

Xoxoxoxoxox

I glanced in the window a few times but didn't see anyone following me. I'd had the driver head back to the hotel to make it look like that's where I was going before rerouting and pulling up behind Reinstoff. "Meet me back here at ten unless I call before," I told my driver, Hans, who nodded and pulled away. I ducked inside, carrying the roses that Martin had picked up inside. I went with roses since I wasn't there to pick them out, but I got more than just red. Pink, white, and purple roses mixed with the red to make it stand out a bit more I hoped.

I paced the floor as I waited. Of course I was a few minutes early, but I was anxious to see her all dolled up for a night out with me. One day, soon, everybody would see her on my arm and then they'd know just how beautiful and sexy she was.

A limo pulled up outside and I breathed a sigh of relief as the driver got out and opened the door. No, damn it, that was my job. I hurried out and nodded at him. He moved aside and I reached a hand in to Bella. I could only see her legs, completely covered by some white material. Her soft hand slid into mine and I helped her out of the car, nearly hyperventilating at the sight of her.

"Baby, you look amazing."

She smiled and took my breath away. She was dressed in a white dress that skimmed down her body, a long straight column, covering everything but at the same time showing off every beautiful curve. It was strapless and she wore her apple pendant just above her breasts. Delectable, perky breasts. Damn. Her hair was pulled back in some sparkly clip but curls spilled out of it and partway down her back. Her eyes were smoky and sexy and her lips were siren red. Amazing wasn't even a good enough word for her. I wanted to usher her back into the limo and straight to our bed.

"Thank you." She was so gorgeous that I had to kiss her then and there. When we broke apart, I hurried her inside.

"These are for you, though they don't do you justice." I handed her the roses and got that lovely smile of hers again.

"You look pretty damn amazing yourself." She reached up to touch the gray tie. "Where did this suit come from?"

I smirked and brought her hand to my lips, kissing it and making her moan softly. "Wardrobe. I'm told they'll kill me if I spill anything on it, but I'm quite sure I don't care." I couldn't take my eyes off her. "Baby, I feel like I should be escorting you to the altar instead of just to dinner. You're utterly stunning."

Bella laughed. "I told them! I told them I looked like a damn bride, but this was so pretty and I couldn't resist it. It probably costs more than most wedding dresses."

That made me raise my eyebrows as I took her hand and led her into the restaurant. "Don't tell me you spent all your money on that dress, love."

Bella shook her head. "I didn't spend a dime. Rose bought it. She insisted on it. Her parents are definitely going to find out she's not in Washington soon."

Lord. "They don't know she's here?"

"No, that would require her talking to them which she's not doing. Not that they tried to call her, or anything. So she's decided to punish them by spending money until they cancel their card. It's only a matter of time now."

"Hello, Mr. Cullen. I'm Chef Daniel Achilles and I'm honored to serve you tonight." I focused on the man in his white uniform. He looked kind of like a computer guy in his glasses. He was in his thirties and had a slight accent but was easily understandable.

"Thank you for having us. I've heard great things about this restaurant." I put my hand on Bella's back and guided her inside. The room was dark, the seats black and the coverings on the windows dark as well. The tablecloths were white and we were led into a back room where candles glowed on a table right in the center.

A waiter appeared and held out a chair for Bella. She sat and I sat across from her. "Would you like me to find something for the flowers, madam?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, thank you." She handed the flowers to him and he hurried away. There was already a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket and two glasses poured.

Chef Daniel cleared his throat. "I'm preparing our traditional meal that is designed to invoke all your senses. The canapés will be out shortly."

"Thanks. We look forward to it," I told him, though I kept my eyes on Bella. So beautiful. And since we'd both compared her to a bride, it wasn't too difficult for my mind to wander to the day that she'd become my wife. Surely she could never be more stunning than she was right now.

Bella smiled and held a hand out, which I gladly took. "You're looking at me like I'm what's on the menu."

I grinned. "You are very much on my menu later tonight, baby."

She laughed. "You're naughty. I can't take you anywhere."

"It's a good thing we're alone right now. I thought that waiter's eyes were going to pop out of his head when he saw you. Imagine if there were a whole restaurant full of people here. I'd have to kill them all."

"Such violent tendencies! We may have to get you a counselor." Bella giggled. "Actually, I'd probably be killing the female half of the room, so we might both have to talk to someone."

I caressed her hand and watched her eyes darken. "Your skin feels like silk," I observed.

She smiled. "I told you Sven had magic hands." I squeezed hers and made her laugh. "Okay, that's from the hand treatment and manicure thing you got me. I swear to God, Edward, I've never been so pampered in my life. I almost feel guilty."

The waiter came out and placed some plates in front of us. "Vegetable cookie and romanesco," he told us, before disappearing.

"Why would you feel guilty?" I asked, but Bella was just staring at her plate. "Baby?"

"What on earth is a vegetable cookie and romanesco?" she asked, making me laugh.

"I have no idea, but I'm told it's very good. I told them not to bring us the goose liver, so I thought this was a good compromise."

Her face was priceless. She squished it up and stuck out her tongue. "Goose liver?"

I snickered. "It's a delicacy, baby." One that I would rather not try, thank you very much.

"Rich people eat weird," she observed, but she bit into her vegetable cookie anyway. She chewed thoughtfully for a moment and then smiled. "It's good."

I laughed and tried it myself. It was an interesting mix of sweet and vegetable-like and I couldn't say I minded it. "It is good. And we do eat weird stuff quite a bit. You should see the stuff that Wolfgang Puck makes at the Oscars." She would see, next year. I was incredibly excited that she'd be my date for that evening. This year I'd taken my mom since I'd been single. Not next year or any year thereafter though.

"I've seen some of it on TV." She frowned, making me laugh. "Do you really eat that stuff?"

I could fuck with her, but there was no point in it. "I eat what appeals to me, but it's a Hollywood crowd, so half the food gets thrown out I'm sure. We'll just go to In-N-Out burger after we ditch the party."

Bella grinned. "Sounds good to me." Then her eyes widened. "Not that I'm complaining. I'm excited to be here with you tonight and when we go there…"

I cut off her babble. "I know, baby. Believe me, some of the food is actually good and those places are really more about socializing anyway. You know I'm more of a beer and pizza sort of guy."

She smiled. "I like that about you." She ate some more and then giggled. "I really want one of those Oscar chocolates though."

Of course she did. "They're awesome and I love you so much that I may even give you mine."

Bella snickered. "You must really love me, then. I don't know if I'd give up my Oscar chocolate for you."

I chuckled and sipped my champagne. "Since you're a first timer, I'll let that slide. The next year, you'd better give me your chocolate."

"Or else what?" she asked. I smiled when I saw she'd cleared her plate. At least she liked the rich people food so far.

"I don't know. I honestly don't think I could punish you. But still."

"Edward, I do love you enough to give you my Oscar chocolate. I just hope you love me enough not to ask me to." Her laughter filled the room. It was my favorite sound in the world, well, maybe second to her moaning in pleasure.

"Fuck it; we'll steal the chocolate of all the people who are afraid to consume calories."

"Oooh, good plan! We both win that way." She clapped her hands and smiled brightly.

"As it should be, love." The waiter cleared our plates and set our next course in front of us.

"River trout, rowan berry, mushrooms and watercress," he informed us before leaving the room again.

"Fish. I can do fish." Once again, I'd chosen well. It was light and perfect and the berries really brought out an amazing flavor. "This is great," Bella told me before digging in.

I was so happy she liked it. "It is. So what do you guys have planned for tomorrow?"

Bella's eyes lit up. "We're going to Museum Island. Have you ever been?"

"No." The only times I'd ever been to Berlin were for work. I didn't get out a whole lot, though of course I'd made a trip to the Berlin Wall but that was about it.

"Oh, well it's going to be so cool. Sculptures and art and there's a cathedral there. We're looking forward to it." She sounded so excited, which made me happy. Of course there was a part of me that wished I could go with her to all these places, see her excitement in person.

"I'm so glad you're having a good time, Bella."

She eyed me and put down her fork. "What is it?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"You sound sad."

"I'm not at all sad, baby."

"Something's off, Edward. Tell me."

She knew me too damn well already. "I just wish I could see these places with you."

Bella smiled and touched my cheek. "I wish that too, you know? I have a great time with Rose and Ali but there's a part of me that knows you're missing and wishes you were there. We'll go to all these places one day, though, right?"

Right. I just had to remember that. And I wasn't going to fuck up our first alone date by wallowing over what I couldn't have, because right now I had everything I needed sitting across from me. "We will, baby, all those places and more."

"Good." She smiled. "Something to look forward to."

"We have a lot of things to look forward to." Countless things, really.

"Good thing our forever has already begun, huh?" She held up her glass and I toasted her with mine.

"It's a very good thing. I don't think I could have gone another day without you," I admitted.

Bella grinned. "Me either. Somehow the boys at U-Dub didn't compare."

I chuckled as the waiter came and took our plates again. "Fruit and yoghurt," he intoned.

"Finally something I know," she whispered, making me laugh again.

"You liked the stuff you didn't know," I pointed out.

"Yes, this is true but it's still nice to know there's not goose liver in here," she said, smiling as she slid the spoon into her mouth. There was something incredibly erotic about seeing her suck on a spoon and no doubt it was a phallic thing but I'm a dude and that's just the way we think. I refrained from saying anything crass, though.

"Maybe those are gooseberries," I suggested, making her giggle again.

"They're good, whatever they are. And this is an incredible date, Edward. Thank you for doing this."

"It was the least I could…"

She held up a hand. "It was not the least anything. You went to a lot of trouble to give us a night out together and if I didn't already love you beyond measure, this would push it over the top. You know I would have been happy back in our room with room service and a movie but you wanted to give me something special, something nobody else could give me and you did. Here I am in a fancy restaurant eating fancy food with my perfect boyfriend and we're all alone. It's like being in a movie instead of watching one. I love it and I love you."

I leaned across the table and kissed her. Her words moved me. "I love you, too, baby. I'm glad you're happy, I just wish I could give you more."

"What more could you possibly give me?" she asked, looking surprised. "You spoil me rotten. You spend every minute with me that you can and don't think I don't know that you stay up later with me here than you did with me at home."

I shrugged. "What reason would I have to stay up if I didn't have you here?"

She laughed. "Good point. I'm just thrilled to be here with you, Edward. This is already beyond my wildest dreams. Don't apologize for having to work or for being famous. That brought us together, so I could never regret it for a moment."

"As long as you never do."

"I won't." She smiled at the waiter when he came back. "Would it be possible for you turn up the music for a few minutes?"

"Of course." He left the room and a few seconds later the music was louder. It was something soft and instrumental.

Bella smiled and crooked a finger. "Would you dance with me?"

I didn't need to be asked twice. I stood and pulled her into my arms. She wound hers around my neck and smiled up at me, swaying gently to the music. "See? It doesn't get any better than this."

She was right about that. I bent my head and captured her lips with mine. She sighed and melted into me. I held her close and when we broke apart she rested her head on my shoulder. "We couldn't dance here if it was loaded with people," she pointed out.

"You're right. There's nothing better than the two of us alone," I told her.

"Don't you forget that." She kissed me again and we continued to sway to the music for a few more minutes. We broke apart when the waiter returned.

"Sir, is there anything else I could get you?"

"No, thank you. We're ready to go. Please give my compliments to Daniel." I gave him the tip, having already taken care of paying for the night alone.

"I will, sir. Thank you, madam. Have a good evening." He handed Bella her flowers in a purple vase that actually matched the blooms. She smiled and took it, thanking him.

The car was waiting when we got downstairs and I helped Bella inside. She curled against me and we watched the lights of Berlin as we drove through the city. "Thank you for tonight, baby."

She giggled and kissed my jaw. "What did I do?"

I laughed. "Well, first you showed up looking like some Roman goddess, for which I'll always be thankful. Second, you always make me look at what's most important. That's you and me. The rest is just background noise. Sometimes it'll be loud, but I can tune it out when I'm with you."

She smiled. "I like that. Screw the background noise." She kissed me again and I groaned and pulled her closer. I toyed with asking the driver to keep driving and putting up the privacy glass but we'd have plenty of time for limo sex another day. She looked too beautiful and too classy for that. Plus, I had the room ready for us. I sent a message to Mitzi to let her know we were on the way.

"We're here, sir," Hans said, stopping. He got out and opened the door. I stood and pulled Bella out and into my arms. She smiled and we linked hands. She looked so pretty in the moonlight, like a glowing statue or something. The door opened and a blonde woman smiled and motioned us inside. I decided I'd better focus on getting us to our room and then I could get lost in Bella. I grabbed her flowers and we went inside.

She led us through the kitchen, which was empty and to a freight elevator. "We use this for carting beds and furniture up," she told us, keying in the code for the top floor.

"Thanks for doing this, Mitzi."

She smiled. "No problem. We appreciate your patronage." The doors opened and Bella and I walked to our room hand in hand. I used the keycard and held the door open for her. I smiled when she gasped.

I stepped inside and yeah, Martin had taken care of things. The bed was turned down and candles illuminated the dark room. There were more roses here and I had more champagne chilling, along with a room service cart. I set her flowers on the nearest table and went to Bella.

"Edward, it's beautiful," she murmured.

"You're the beautiful one. This is nothing."

She shook her head and grinned. "More food?"

I laughed and led her over to the cart. "Call it a safety net just in case you hated it, but I got us real dessert. Fruit and yogurt is fine and all but considering all your chocolate talk earlier…" I broke off and lifted the lid. Bella let out a squeal of delight that had me laughing. "Yeah, I thought you might approve."

"Is that German chocolate cake?" she demanded. Oh yeah, she liked it.

"Maybe. Why don't you sit down and see for yourself?" I pulled out a chair for her and she sank into it, eying the cake hungrily. "I think you might like that cake more than me."

She giggled and tilted her head. "I don't know until I try it out, do I?"

I sat across from her and poured the champagne before scooping up a bite onto the fork and holding it out to her. "I guess we better check it out."

She opened her mouth and I slid the fork in. She closed her eyes and moaned at the first taste. It was incredibly sexy. "I think I might have been replaced," I observed mournfully.

She opened her eyes and grinned at me. "I have to admit, it's too close to call at the moment." I pouted which made her laugh. "Why don't you come over here and let me sample you so I can compare?"

That was not a bad idea at all. I sat next to her and she kissed me, slipping her tongue into my mouth. She tasted like chocolate and champagne and Bella which was just an assault on all my senses.

"Mmm, still a tight race," she murmured when we broke apart. I was hard as a rock and ready to beg her to pick me over the chocolate. "Maybe if you were wearing less clothes," she suggested.

God, how much did I love this woman? I took off the jacket and laid it across the back of the chair. The tie went as well. She took another bite of cake and moaned, watching me intently. Alright then. The shirt came off and I stood and took off my pants as well. "Well, that is mighty tempting." She licked her lips, driving me crazy.

"Bella…" I whined.

She laughed and stood, wrapping her arms around me. "You win, Edward. You always win."

"I want to win right now," I told her, kissing her hard. I unzipped her dress and she shifted, letting the material slide right down her body. She wore no bra and I moaned at the sight of her in nothing but a pair of skimpy panties. She bent and picked up the dress, putting it over the back of a chair.

"It's my first designer dress," she said with a sweet smile.

"There'll be a lot more where that came from," I promised her. So many she'd probably get sick of them all.

"I think I need one more test before I'm one hundred percent sure on this chocolate versus Edward thing," Bella told me. She took my hand and steered me over to the bed, pushing me down on it before she strolled back to the table with the cake. She brought the plate over, eating a bite and smiling sweetly.

"What are you up to?" I asked. She was too fucking cute practically naked, eating cake and smiling happily.

"I want to combine my favorite flavors." And the next thing I knew, there was a gob of cake on my abdomen and Bella was setting the plate aside. Well, hello there. She crawled between my legs and started licking my chest, working her way down to the cake.

"Jeez," I managed when her hot little tongue dragged the cake across my torso. She was licking and nipping and sucking on my skin and the cake. When she grinned up at me, her mouth was a mess of a chocolate. It was too cute.

"Definitely my favorite flavor right here." She cleaned me off with her tongue and then lowered herself on top of me so that I could kiss her. My lips met hers and I tasted the chocolate and Bella and I could see what she was so fond of.

"You're my favorite," I murmured when we broke apart. I rolled us over and reached down to pull off her panties and my boxers. "I need you."

"I need you, too," she told me.

I slipped inside her and got a louder moan than the chocolate did, which made me grin. "I do win."

"Yes, you do. Always."

"Let's both win." And we did, coming together before we collapsed into each other's arms. Every day needed to end just like this one.

Xoxoxoxoxox

I found myself wishing I could go back to last night when I was dangling off the side of a twenty story building while the director got his reaction shots. At least I didn't have to repel down the building like the stuntman did. Bella had barely stirred when the alarm went off and I didn't have the heart to wake her when I left. Hopefully she'd have a good time at the museum.

"And, cut and print. That'll do." I was brought back up the building and Martin immediately ran at me holding the phone out.

"Sir, I think there's a problem."

I took the phone and answered it, my heart pounding. "Bella?"

"Edward? Edward, they know." Her voice was panicked and my heart fell. Fuck.

* * *


	46. Chapter 46

" _Edward? Edward, they know."_

"Bella? What happened? How do they know?" Shit. Damn it all to hell, what had I done?

"I don't know. Rose and Emmett got arrested and I don't know where they are!"

What? What in the hell was going on? "Why were they arrested? Baby, take a deep breath and tell me what happened."

I turned to Martin. "Get me a car." I didn't know where I was going, but I damn well wasn't staying here.

I heard her do as I asked and release her breath in a whoosh of air. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I'm trying…"

"It's okay, baby. I know you're upset. Just tell me what happened so we can figure out what to do. Why did Rose and Emmett get arrested?" With those two, it could be anything.

"We were going to the museum. That was all." My heart cracked at the confusion and pain I could hear in her voice. "We stepped out of the hotel and the next thing I knew, people were yelling questions and crowding around." Fucking bastards. I was going to kill someone. "I kept my head down, like you said, but they just kept coming and Rose called Emmett and told him to come down. Some guy stepped on Ali's leg and hurt her ankle."

I couldn't focus. Where in the hell was my damn car? "Is she okay? Bella, are you?"

"I'm fine. I didn't get hurt, just pushed and stuff." I was going to kick someone's ass for this. Whoever it was that found her was dead. "Some guy grabbed Rose and you know, she hit him." Of course she did. Jesus. "Then Emmett came out and heard that and he started throwing punches and yelling at me to get out of there. Alice and I are in the hotel. The doorman called security and the cops and they're all outside. Rose and Em got taken away. I don't know where they are."

Her voice was getting higher and more nervous as she talked. "Bella, it's okay. Just go to the room with Alice. I'm on my way, okay?"

"Okay. We should find out where they took Rose and Emmett."

"I'll take care of it. You just go to the room and wait for me. I'll be right there. I love you, Bella. Just remember that for me, alright?" Don't let this ruin us. I can't be without you.

"Of course. I love you, too." She sounded a little better, thankfully. "I should call Dad or…"

"It's four in the morning over there, baby. Just wait." Someone was about to get an unwelcome wakeup call but it wouldn't be Charlie Swan.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. It's…" she broke off and sniffled. Fucking hell, I hated feeling powerless. I needed to hold her and see for myself that she was really alright. "It was frightening."

"I know, love. I know it was, but you're alright and I'll handle it, okay?" So much for her vacation. At least she got a few weeks. It was my fault. It had to be dinner last night; someone had seen us or talked about it or something. We should have just stayed in. My fault.

"Okay. Are you sure you can get here?"

As if I'd be anywhere else? "I've got a car on the way. I'll be there as soon as I possibly can."

"Alright. I'm going to the room now."

"Where are the paps? They didn't follow you in, did they? Do you know if they have your name?" So much to figure out. Too much.

She sighed. "No, I don't think they do. They kept asking who I was. I guess they just had my picture, or wanted it. Alice says they're across the street. The cops made them move. I'm not looking out. Alice said not to."

Good. One of us was thinking clearly. "Very good, baby. Yeah, you just go up to our room. I'm on my way. See you soon."

"See you soon." She was gone. I needed to be.

I hurried over to Dave, my director. "I've gotta go."

He laughed. "What do you mean you have to go? Don't joke about that shit. We're in the middle of…"

No fucking time for this. "My girlfriend just got outed and swarmed by the paps, my brother and a friend are in jail and I have to fucking go! You can fire me or you can sue me but I'm going."

Dave blinked a few times and looked like he was going to argue but whatever he saw in my face stopped him. "Damn it. Alright, we'll hold for now. I expect a call as soon as you straighten this out and get your brother out of jail. I have a bridge to blow tomorrow and I need him!"

"I'll call you." I wasn't making any other promises about when I'd be back. I'd be back when I was sure my girlfriend was safe and my brother and Rose were out of jail. I'd never delayed filming before and they could just suck it up when I had an emergency that needed to be dealt with.

"Martin!" I shouted.

He scurried over. "Yes, sir, the car's downstairs."

"Thank you." I hurried into the building and took the elevator down. The ride seemed to take forever but eventually I was down and Hans ushered me into the car. "The hotel, hurry," I told him, pulling up the number. She was going to be pissed, but I didn't give a damn.

"This better be major," she growled into the phone.

"Bella got attacked by the press and Emmett's in jail, does that constitute major enough for you?" I snapped.

"Fucking hell, what the fuck happened?" Kate demanded, suddenly sounding very awake.

"I don't know! I was hoping you did!"

"There was nothing last night. I double checked. Damn it, Edward I was on the net until around midnight. It must have…fuck!"

"What?"

"Well, don't you look pretty?" I cursed and she groaned. "Did you have to hold her against you like that? Where is that? The hotel?"

Damn it. "Us getting out of the limo?"

"Looks that way," she muttered. "Yeah, it says Edward Cullen and unidentified female embrace outside his hotel. Everybody fucking has it. _People, Perez, TMZ_ …damn it, I thought you had it handled?"

I ran my hands through my hair, aggravated beyond belief. "I did have it handled. Someone must have opened their fucking mouth. Nobody followed me from the set, I checked. And if they had, they would have had a much better picture because I kissed her outside the restaurant…"

"You moron!" Kate yelled.

"Jesus fucking Christ, I think I can kiss my fucking girlfriend when she looks too beautiful for words and I'm taking her on a long overdue first date. What the hell is wrong with that?" I shouted.

"Nothing." Kate sighed. "I'm sorry. You're right. You should be able to do that, absolutely. You know I'm on your side there."

I knew. It wasn't her I was pissed at. It was them. And me, because I did know better. "I'm sorry, too. She's upset. She was crying; I know she was. And Emmett and Rose are in fucking jail and I have no idea what to do now. I'm on my way to her and then…I don't know."

"Now I do what I do. You're out of the closet, Edward. There's no going back. We're going to have to figure out a plan of action and go from there. I'll be on a flight out as soon as I can."

"Kate…" I broke off before I told her that she didn't have to come. I wanted her here. "Thank you."

"It's what I do. In the meantime, you stay away from the vultures. I'll issue a statement confirming that the beautiful girl in white is indeed your girlfriend. I'm not releasing her name yet, but it's only a matter of time before they get that information. Have Bella reach out to her family and tell them not to say a word until they hear from me."

"Will do."

"It's actually a beautiful picture," Kate said. "You two look very much in love."

Of course we did. She was so exquisite last night. "We are."

"I know. Go be with her. I'll make some calls on Emmett and Rose and I'll call your mother." Fuck me; Mom was going to have a fit.

"Kate."

She laughed. "Don't start. She'll find out as soon as she gets up anyway and wouldn't you rather she was on the phone screaming at the German police than you?"

She had a point. "Alright. Just tell her I'll call her after I talk to Bella."

"You're going to need to do an interview about and possibly with her." Damn it. "What do you think about reaching out to Bree Tanner and _Rolling Stone_?"

I had told Bree she'd be the first and her article on me had been pretty cool. "Do it. Get her out here." It was up to Bella whether she wanted to talk to her, but I'd do it.

"On it. Garrett and I will be in sometime tomorrow. Damn time changes. I'll call with details."

"Thanks. Bye Kate."

We pulled up in front of the hotel and I saw the press gathered across the street. There were a lot of them. Fuck, were we in Berlin or Hollywood? It was ridiculous. I must have made a noise because Kate started talking. "Edward Cullen, don't you dare confront the paps! I don't need to be pulling strings to get you out of jail. Bella's your priority, remember?"

Of course I remembered. She was right. Bella came first. Always. "Fine. I'll talk to you later."

I hung up before she could order me to do anything else and Hans opened the door for me. As soon as I stepped out, they started yelling. Fortunately there were still some cops around keeping them back and I hurried up the steps. Before I went inside, I turned to face them and for the first time since they'd started following me seven years ago, I flipped them off. "Hope you get some good pictures of that, assholes!" I called before ducking inside. Kate was going to be pissed but I didn't care. It was all I had at the moment.

"Sir, there's been some trouble here…" the manager started as I strode past the desk.

"I know. Do me a favor and find out where they took my brother and friend. Call my room with that information." I wasn't sticking around. I hurried into the elevator and hit the button for my floor. I'm here, baby. I'll be holding you in just a minute.

The doors opened and I sprinted down the hall, yanking out my key card as I went. I shoved it in the door and threw it open. "Bella?"

"Edward!" And then she was in my arms and finally my world felt right again.

I hugged her to me and buried my nose in her hair. She was fine. Thank fucking God she was fine. I pulled back and looked into her face. Her eyes were wide and a little glazed, but she looked unharmed. "You're alright, right, baby? They didn't hurt you?" I demanded.

"Yes. I'm fine. Just a little scratch. I'm just so glad you're here. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know it would be like that."

Scratch? I studied the arm she held out and there was a light scratch there. Damn it. Rage shot through me at the fact that she'd been injured, no matter how minor. I should have known this would happen. I was a fucking idiot. "I'm so sorry, baby."

"It's not your fault." Oh, but it was. She snuggled back into me and I closed my eyes and just held her for a few moments. Everything inside of me seemed to settle now that I was with her and could hold her and know she was alright. I hadn't realized just how amped I was, even when I was yelling at Kate. I just had to see her, to know that she was alright.

"When did they see us?" she asked softly.

"Let's sit down and I'll tell you what I know." I pulled back slipped an arm around her, leading her into the bedroom. Alice was there, sitting on our bed with some ice on her ankle.

"Is it bad? Do you need a doctor?" I asked her.

"Just twisted it. I don't think it's sprained, but it hurts a little. I'm alright. It was awful out there," she told me.

"I know. I saw them."

"Did they come after you?" Bella started patting me down and I laughed for the first time since she'd called me.

"No. The cops had them all across the street." I thought maybe I should lighten things up. "I did flip them off before I came in, so I'm sure there will be some nice new pictures of me up soon."

"Edward!" But Bella did laugh, which is what I wanted. So did Alice.

"Kate's going to be pissed, but at least I didn't go throw some punches of my own." I wanted too, though. "What in the hell happened with Rose and Emmett?"

"Some guy grabbed Rose while trying to get me, I think," Bella said, scrunching up her face. "She told him to back off and when he didn't, she punched him. Emmett came out just as that happened so he charged right in and told us to get out of there."

"Fists were flying, not just Rose and Em's and the first guys," Alice supplied. "I looked back as we were heading in and there were several guys smacking on your brother and Rose was kicking one of them. It's not good."

Shit. Nothing I could do, unless I left Bella to go down to some police station, but that honestly wasn't an option right now. I couldn't stop touching her, reassuring myself she was okay. "Well, Kate was calling Mom so it's only a matter of time before she's on the case."

Bella groaned. "How did this happen? When did they see us?"

Right, she hadn't heard. "It was outside the hotel when I helped you out of the limo and we hugged. I haven't seen it yet but Kate said it's a beautiful picture anyway." Bella smiled shakily at that. I took out my phone and pulled up _Perez_. Damn. There we were, right at the top. And he was right. Bella looked amazing, smiling up at me and I was grinning and her and pulling her into my arms. I held the phone out and Alice squealed when she saw it.

"Jeez, Alice," Bella elbowed her. "It's not a good thing, you know."

"I know, but look at you! Look at him! Look at him and you looking at each other! Think about it. You could have been outed wearing sweatpants with ratty hair and half awake when he left some morning but instead you look impossibly gorgeous. Nobody who sees that picture is going to wonder what he's doing with you like that stupid cow Jess was. Look at you!"

Bella smiled slightly. "Yes, I guess I'm glad that I don't look like a hag."

I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head. I was happy that she seemed calm now. Of course, the storm was just beginning. "You could never look like a hag, baby."

Alice snorted. "It must be true love. Have you seen those pictures of celebs without makeup on?" Her eyes narrowed at me. "Hey, you're wearing makeup right now!"

Shit. I forgot. I scowled at her and released Bella to go wash my face. "It's part of the package." I scrubbed the stuff off and dried off with a towel, tossing it aside. My phone rang as I was walking back in the room.

"It's your mom," Bella told me. I was surprised it had taken her this long, though maybe Kate had hit the travel arrangements before calling her.

"Hi, Mom."

"How are the girls?" Mom demanded, not even bothering with a hello to me. Naturally.

"Bella's fine, she's got a light scratch on her arm, but that's it. Alice has a sore ankle, she's icing it but she's okay. I don't know about Rose, since she's in jail."

Mom growled and I thanked God that she was many miles away. "I've got calls in," was all she said. "Let me talk to Bella."

I shook my head and handed the phone to my girl. "Hi, Esme," she said, smiling again. Hey, whatever made her smile was okay with me. She listened for a minute. "I'm fine. Yes, it was scary but I didn't get hurt and Emmett and Rose protected me while Alice got me out of there. I'm worried about them."

She laughed at whatever my mom said. "Somehow I don't doubt that you will. I'm going to have to tell my dad." She laughed again. "You're so right. I bet Emmett's shitting his…oops." I laughed as her face reddened for saying shitting to my mom. "Well, he did promise not to get any of us arrested, but technically Rose threw the first punch. I'm going to have to defend him on that one."

Her eyes were bright again, which made me smile. "Are they really? Rose wanted to be on _TMZ,_ so she'll be thrilled once she's released." She paused again. "Yes, okay. Here's Alice."

Alice took my phone and reassured my mom that she was alright while I pulled Bella back into a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I am. I'm sorry I called you when I was upset but…"

"Hey," I cut her off with a quick kiss. "I'd be mad if you didn't call me when you were upset. I'm so sorry you got blindsided. If we hadn't gone out last night, this would never happened. It's my fault."

Bella's eyes narrowed. "Edward Cullen, don't you dare say that! I loved last night. Didn't you? Would you really want to take it back?"

Before I could reply, Alice thrust my phone at me. "Mom."

"I can't come over right now. I'm loaded with meetings and your father has a full schedule. I've got our lawyer dealing with Emmett's situation but I'll be damned if they're arresting my son for protecting innocent girls from those vipers and their cameras. And Rose has no record and was just defending herself from an assault! I'll crush anyone that tries to press charges against them. Who did the guy work for?" she demanded, spitting words at me angrily.

"Mom, I don't know. I wasn't there. He got taken in too, I think." Alice and Bella both nodded. "So you can find out."

"Be sure I will," she muttered darkly. "If Emmett and Rose aren't released within the hour I'll see to it that they all pay." I didn't know who they were. I didn't want to know. I trusted Mom to handle it. "You have that boy call me."

"I will, Mom."

"Good. Now you take care of those girls. They got a little shaken up. Kate told me she's coming to talk strategy. You're going to have to go out and go out big, Edward. Right now, they're chomping at the bit for pictures and information. You have to give it to them. They'll lose interest if you give them access and let them see the two of you together. Inundate them so that they're bored with you. Kate agrees."

I cringed at the thought of putting on a show for the vultures. "Get that look off your face, you know I'm right." How did she do that? "You can only protect her so much, Edward. Give them what they want and they'll go after the others who are hiding things."

She was right. "We'll talk about it, Mom."

"Do that. Take care of those girls, Edward. Keep them in until Kate gets there."

As if any of us were going anywhere? "I don't think that's going to be a problem."

"Good. I'm off to badger our lawyer."

I snickered. "I bet he's thrilled that you called him before five AM."

"He's paid a ridiculous amount of money to work whenever I want him to work," she replied. "Take care of yourself and stop flipping off reporters."

Oops. "You saw that already?"

"Just refreshed _TMZ_ and there you are showing as much class and sophistication as your brother did with his moon." She sighed. "Why did I have boys?"

I laughed. "So we'd bring the girls into your life?"

She sniffed. "Exactly. Thank God for them. Now go. Behave. Pamper them! I love you."

"I will, Mom. Love you. Bye."

I disconnected and saw Bella and Alice exchanging glances. Alice got up. "I'm going to head back to my own room and take a nap. I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Dinner's on me. We'll do room service and you can have anything you want," I told her.

Alice smiled and kissed my cheek. "Sounds good. " She lowered her voice. "Don't take back last night, Edward. It meant the world to her," she whispered. She hugged Bella and then limped out of the room.

I picked up the hotel phone and called the front desk. "I need to arrange for a masseuse for room 532. Find someone who will come and bill it to me, please? I'll send down the tip when I get confirmation that they're there."

"Yes, sir, we'll arrange it."

"Thanks."

Bella smiled at me when I disconnected. "That was nice of you to do for Alice."

"Least I can do." The very least. I was fucking up right and left, getting my girl attacked and my brother arrested and our friends hurt.

"No, it's not." She took my face in her hands. "You have gone above and beyond for me since the moment I walked into my bedroom and you were there, even though I lied to you." I started to protest but she put her finger over my mouth. "It's true. You've made my wildest dreams come true and I don't want you to apologize for this. So there's one part of being with you that's not all sunshine and rainbows. I don't care. It's your life. It's my life now. I can see that you're taking this on and I'm not letting you, okay?"

Her words were incredibly beautiful to me. She wasn't going to run. There was a small part of me that had been prepared for it. I took her hands in mine. "I don't regret it, Bella. I could never regret last night. It was a fantastic and long overdue first public date. More public than I intended, but everything else was just as I wanted it. I do regret that this happened today, though."

"But it's not your fault. You see that, right?" she asked.

I suppose, but it felt like I should have done something different. She didn't want to hear that though. "I know. And I can't say that I'm sorry that everybody gets to see us looking at each other like we are in that picture. You took my breath away in that moment." I kissed her. "I love you, so much."

"I love you," she told me. I opened my arms and she snuggled right into me. "I guess we have some things to figure out, presswise."

I kissed the top of her head. "Later. Today we're holing up and we'll let Kate take control. It's what she's good at anyway. She's on the way." Then I remembered. "Um, she's going to call that woman that interviewed me for _Rolling Stone._ I kind of promised her that when we came out, she'd be the first to know. Kate's setting us up to do an interview, if you want. I can do it alone…"

"No." Bella pulled back and shook her head. "I want to do it with you. We're in this together."

Thank God for it. "Yes, we are. Always."

"So, bring it on. We're ready." She smiled at me. "I can do anything as long as I have you."

"You do."

She pushed me back on the bed and straddled me. "Then prove it."

She was magnificent. "Happily." And I did.

Xoxoxoxoxox

"Where are they?" Bella asked for the fifteenth time, pacing our room.

"He just texted twenty minutes ago, baby. It takes time."

"I know! But I need to see them with my own eyes so I can make sure they're alright."

"Em said they're fine. A bit pissed off, but fine."

"I know! But I still need to see them."

"They're on the way. You should probably call your dad now." I cringed at the thought of informing Charlie about what happened but he'd be more pissed off if he found out from _TMZ_ or my mom.

"Not until Rose is here." Bella shook her head. "He'll be full of questions and it'll be better if I can answer them and not put him off."

That was a good point. "Well get back over here and sit and wait, Bella. Your pacing isn't going to get them here any faster."

"I know." She sighed and came over to the couch, sitting next to me and throwing her legs over my lap. "They got arrested because of me," she told me, her eyes starting to tear up.

Oh no. If I couldn't take the blame, she sure as hell couldn't. "Hey, didn't you tell me not an hour ago that I wasn't allowed to take the blame for what happened?"

"Yes, but they were protecting me."

"They could have protected you without punching people, Bella. I'm not sorry that they did, so long as they're not in too much trouble, but that's on them."

Bella sighed and rested her head on my shoulder. "Still, it wouldn't have happened if…"

"If we hadn't gone out last night, which you told me I'm not allowed to regret. So you're not allowed to either."

She kissed my jaw. "Okay, you're right. I just need them to get here."

I laughed and ran my hand down her side. "I could always distract you."

She giggled. "Again? I don't think they'd appreciate getting out of the slammer only to find us having a good time in their absence."

"They'd understand." My brother would probably applaud.

"True." She kissed me and I shifted her onto my lap just as a knock sounded on the door. "They're here!" she shouted, forgetting all about me as she hopped off and ran to the door. Fair enough.

"We're free, bitches!" Rose shouted as she and Emmett walked in the door, accompanied by Alice. They must have stopped off to pick her up on their way to our room.

"Rose! I'm so sorry!" Bella was in her arms and Rose hugged her back.

"Please, that's the most fun I've had with my clothes on in years! Did you see me take down that skinny fucker? I broke his nose and his camera. Jackass thinks he can touch my ass? I kicked his to teach him a lesson."

Emmett laughed. "That's my girl! Eddie, I wish you'd seen her. She throws a better punch than Alec, I swear." His lip was split and I could see some bruises starting to appear on his face.

"Looks like you took a few." I stood and walked over to him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just superficial shit. I've had worse." That I knew. "Most of them were sucker punches while I was taking down someone else. Fucking cowards."

"What about you?" I asked, pulling Rose into a hug after Bella released her.

"Swollen knuckles and a bruise on my thigh. I'm good."

"Thank you for protecting her," I told Rose, releasing her. I addressed my brother as well. "Thank you." I couldn't thank either of them enough.

"That's been my job for four years now. Not a problem," Rose replied, wrapping an arm around my girl, who was smiling brightly now that she could see for herself that they were alright.

"You know you don't have to thank me. I was doing what big brothers do." Bella threw her arms around Emmett and he kissed the top of her head. "You're alright, aren't you? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"I'm fine."

"She's got a scratch on her arm," I corrected. "But it's not bad and no doubt would have been a lot worse if it weren't for the two of you."

"It was fun," Emmett told us.

"You're such a thug," Alice said, poking him. He released Bella and scooped her up.

"Saved your ass, didn't I, little one? And now I'll carry you everywhere until your ankle is properly healed."

"You will not! Put me down!" She smacked his chest lightly.

"I'm your hero, damsel in distress. You should be kissing me, not hitting me."

"Fine." Alice puckered her lips and kissed his bruised cheek. "Thank you. Now put me down." He did, setting her gently on the bed before grabbing a pillow and sliding it under her ankle. He really did care about her, beyond the teasing. "I can handle this. Thanks for the masseuse, Edward. He did a lovely job."

"No problem," I assured her, glad I could do a little something for her.

Em collapsed in a chair and Rose perched on the arm next to him. Bella sat back next to me and I pulled her close. I had enough trouble not touching her when things were fine, but the urge was doubled now that she'd been upset and harassed. Knowing what could have happened to her made it impossible not to hold on to her. She snuggled into me.

"So, do you have a trial date or what?" I was used to the ins and outs of the California penal system by now but I had no idea what the hell they did in Germany.

Emmett grinned widely. "Nah, the charges were dropped."

"Dropped?" Bella demanded. "How in the hell did that happen?"

I knew. Somehow she'd done it. "Mom."

Emmett nodded. "Yeah, I don't really know what she did, but I know that all four of the guys we beat on, who were more than happy to point the finger at us as they were hauling us in, decided not to press charges after they made their phone calls."

Reporters and photographers would be most likely to call their workplaces, I figured. "She got their companies to turn on them?"

Em shrugged. "God only knows what she did but you know Mom gets shit done. She must have wielded her power and scared the piss out of the tabs these guys worked for."

"She was pretty worked up. She was all about self-defense."

"Yeah, well, we're free to go, although we've been warned not to get in anymore trouble." He smirked at Rose. "They don't know us very well, clearly."

Rose snorted. "I was more or less joking about you getting arrested without me, but I'm glad we went together."

"And you're on _TMZ_ ," Bella told her, eliciting a yell and Rose diving toward the laptop we had on the table.

She pulled up the website and shrieked. "Look at you! Damn, no wonder they were all over our asses this morning. You two look like you're about to rip those pretty clothes off."

I grinned at Bella. "Not too far off," I muttered, making her giggle.

"There we are! Damn it, look at my hair. I look like fucking trailer trash. That son of a bitch girly man pulling my fucking hair. Em, you look hot. All enraged and sexy."

My brother got up and grinned. "I do. So do you, baby. You look like you do when you ride me…"

"Hey!" I shouted while Bella and Alice yelled "No!"

Emmett just grinned. "Well, she does. And what is this? Is this my baby bro flipping the bird at the press? Will wonders never cease?"

I shrugged. "Mom already gave me a little shit for it. Kate sent me a text asking if I was channeling you in that moment."

Emmett laughed. "Nah, if you had been you would have waded in and thrown some more punches. I know you wouldn't show them your ass, that costs a few million doesn't it?" I threw the couch pillow at him as he chortled. "I'm glad you didn't just turn a blind eye to them, Eddie. They need to know that they crossed a fucking line."

"Yeah, well they pissed me off."

"Do we have a plan?" he asked, sitting back down in the chair he'd abandoned to go see himself on the web.

"Kate's en route and she's having Bree from _Rolling Stone_ come over to interview us. I'm going to have Garrett hire some bodyguards for the girls and see about finding a new place for us to stay, with security so they can't get near them again."

"You are?" Bella asked.

I realized I probably should have discussed it with her but I hadn't done anything yet. I took her hand in mine. "Yeah, if you're okay with it. I want you guys to be able to go out and the best way is if you have someone with you and if they can't get close to you. They still might be able to catch up to you when you're out, but that's what the bodyguards are for."

Bella looked at Rose and Alice and they had one of those silent conversations that girls seemed to be able to have. It was confounding. The other two nodded and Bella smiled. "Okay, Edward. But I don't want you going to a bunch of expense just because of this."

I shook my head. "There's no amount of money I wouldn't pay to make sure you were safe." I looked at Alice and Rose. "All of you. I promised Charlie I'd take care of you and that's what I'm going to do."

"Charlie!" Rose gasped. "Have you talked to him?"

Bella shook her head. "I was waiting until we knew what was up with you before I called him. He must not have been on _TMZ_ yet today."

"Or he has and he's waiting to see how long you'll take to call him," Alice warned. Bella had her phone out immediately which made most of us laugh. Well, I laughed even though my stomach flipped. I didn't want him to hate me now after his daughter had been attacked because of me.

"Cut it out, Edward," Bella warned. "This is not your fault. It's theirs, remember?"

"Right." But would Charlie see that? Emmett was pale all of a sudden.

"Em?" I asked.

"He's going to kill me. Rose got arrested. I promised him. Don't call him yet, Bella. Rosie, pack your shit, we need to go on the run. We'll go to Siberia. It's hard to find people there."

"He'll understand, Emmett," Bella said, already hitting dial on her phone. My brother grumbled and scooted to the edge of his chair, just in case he needed to take off.

"Hi, Dad," Bella said, putting the phone on speaker.

"Hi, Bells. How's Germany?" he asked.

She bit her lip and looked at me. I shrugged. "Uh, well, it's been better."

"What happened?" he demanded. "Who's in trouble? If it's Emmett, don't even bother to tell me."

My brother groaned and slumped over as Rose patted him on the back, laughing. "Wellllll," Bella said.

"What did that boy do?" he asked.

"Um, well, you know that Edward and I were going out last night, right?"

"Yes, and I told you it was a dumb idea. The odds are…wait, you got caught, didn't you?"

Bella sighed. "Apparently. They were lying in wait when Alice, Rose and I left this morning and they came at us, surrounding us and yelling and taking pictures."

"Are you alright? Are Alice and Rose? What happened?" he asked, his voice getting higher, nerves taking over.

"We're all fine for the most part, Dad."

"What does for the most part mean? Spill, Bella," he commanded gruffly.

"I have a twisted ankle and Rose has sore knuckles and a bruised hip and Bella's got a scratch on her arm, Charlie," Alice supplied.

"Sore knuckles? Rose, are you there?" he asked suspiciously. Trust the chief to latch on to the incriminating information.

"Right here, Chief Daddy," she said with a grin he couldn't see. "And before you ask, yes, they're sore because I beat the shit out of a guy who thought he could go through me to get to Bella and cop a feel while he was at it."

Charlie groaned. "How much trouble are you in?"

"Well, Emmett and I got arrested," she announced, making Emmett groan as Charlie shouted, "What?"

"Yeah, we got taken in but all charges were dropped."

"How did Emmett come into this?" He sounded resigned now.

We all looked at my brother who was sweating profusely. "Rosie called me when they were being attacked. Attacked, Charlie! They needed me so I came down and some guy had a hold of Rosie so I was forced to get him off her and get Alice and Bella out of there."

"Uh huh," Charlie murmured. "And why I am seeing reports of you beating on at least four men?" And now he'd be on those websites multiple times daily I bet.

"Because they were beating on me?" Emmett asked, his voice squeaking. "What was I supposed to do Charlie? Let them trample the girls and accost my Rosie?"

We all waited with bated breath for Charlie's response. "No. You protected the girls, which is the most important thing. We'll discuss you getting Rose arrested at another time."

"I got myself arrested, Charlie," Rose interjected proudly. "Cuffed and shoved in the back of a police car." Her eyes were twinkling. "It made me wonder about…" she broke off when Bella threw the other couch pillow at her. "Nothing," she finished, laughing hard.

"Kids," he muttered. "And where was Edward when all this was going down?"

Damn it. My turn. "I was filming, Charlie. But I came as soon as I got Bella's call. My publicist is on her way here and a reporter I trust is coming to interview me and Bella. We're out, now, so we're going to talk. She'll be calling you, I'm sure. You might get tracked down and asked some questions."

Charlie muttered something about the press that I couldn't quite make out. "I'm sorry," I told him. "I never wanted any of this to happen. I'm going to hire some bodyguards and we're going to move to a more secure location. I'll do whatever I can to protect them."

"Did you tip off the press so they'd know who Bella was?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

I blinked in surprise. "No, of course not."

"Then I don't know what you're apologizing for. Did Bella have a good time on your night out?"

I looked at her and smiled. "Yeah, she did."

"Well, then, I guess it was worth it since none of my girls were harmed overly much. And it wasn't your fault. How'd they get the picture?"

"We weren't followed, so either somebody ratted or a reporter just got lucky and ducked around the building at the right time. They do hang out here. My publicist has her people on it." I'd get a name, by God, and that person would pay.

"I suppose. You look beautiful in this picture, Bella," Charlie said, his tone softer now. "I'm assuming this speculation about you getting married is incorrect."

Dear Lord. "Thanks, Dad. Rose bought me the dress. And of course we didn't get married!"

He laughed. "I thought as much. He knows better than to marry you without me being present." Damn right I did. I valued my life way too much to elope without a word to the father-in-law with the guns. "Edward, you do what you have to do to keep my girls safe. If there's anything I can do, any police I can contact, you let me know."

"I will, Charlie."'

"Emmett!" Charlie yelled, making my brother jump.

"Yes, sir!" He saluted the phone. I laughed at his idiocy.

"Don't you throw any more punches unless my girls are in danger, you got me?"

"Yes, Charlie. I swear I won't get in any fights unless it's to protect our girls."

" _My girls,"_ Charlie corrected. "I'm giving you a pass on this one since the story here says that Rose threw the first punch. Damn, girl, don't you know better?" he demanded.

"He grabbed my ass, Charlie." Rose grinned, waiting for his reaction.

"Who? What was his name? Who does he work for?" Charlie shot the questions out while we all laughed.

"I handled it, Charlie. What did you think of my picture?" she asked, giggling.

"Uh, you look like you've been brawling," he stammered.

"But do I look sexy?" she asked, making Bella groan.

"Ignore her, Dad."

"I will, Bells. You're sure you're alright? I don't want you to be upset about those reporters. If any of them call me, I'll give them hell for going after you."

"I'm fine, Dad. Edward's going to take care of everything."

"I believe that, which is why I'm not on my way to the airport right now." Emmett let out a huge sigh of relief that made Charlie chuckle. "Damn right, boy. I've got my eyes on you and I'll hold you responsible if it happens again, even if Rose throws the first punch. You got that?"

"Yes, sir, Chief," he responded, grimacing.

"Good. I have to go to work, but you all stay out of trouble, you hear me?"

"Yes, Dad. Love you," Bella told him.

"Yeah. Love you, too. We'll talk soon." And he was gone.

Emmett collapsed into his chair. "Thank God that's over."

I grinned at him. "Have you talked to Mom, yet?"

"Don't even joke about that. She got me out of jail," Emmett pointed out. "She can't be too pissed."

"Well she was pissed at the paps, but now that you're out…" I broke off as the pillow fired back at me. "Just saying."

"I'll call and thank her later. For now I think we should order room service and porn."

"I don't think so!" Alice yelled.

Emmett laughed. "I was talking to Rosie. Seeing her fighting and cuffed got me worked up."

"Gross," Alice muttered as Rose stood and pulled Emmett to his feet.

"So true. I have some adrenaline I need to release. We'll see you tomorrow." My brother whooped and rushed her to the front door. They were off before we could blink, leaving as loudly as they entered.

"Well, that was interesting," Bella observed.

"I'll say. But Em had it right."

"Ewwww," Alice spat. "I guess I'll go then."

No, that wasn't happening. I was taking care of the girls, as promised. "I meant room service and a movie, a non-porn movie. How does that sound?"

"Less fun than porn," Bella whispered, kissing my ear. "Sounds good," she said loud enough for Alice to hear.

"Get out the menu," I told Bella. "We'll see about the porn tonight," I murmured back. That was another way of taking care of my girl, wasn't it? We deserved another release after a day like this. Tomorrow Kate would arrive and the media blitz would begin. May as well relax while we could.


	47. Chapter 47

"That cuntwhore bitch from hell! I'm going to kill her!" There was nobody in the world that said things the way that Rosalie Hale did, I was convinced of it.

"What now?" Bella asked wearily. It had been a damn long day and night. Dave was pissed because I'd blown off work to wait for Kate and deal with this press bullshit. At least Emmett had gone in to blow up his damn bridge. He should be happy that his stunt coordinator was out of jail, but was he? No. I was willing to work extra hours every damn day to make up for it, wasn't I? I endured their damn delays when the cameraman fucked something up or when a stunt didn't go quite right. They could give me a day or two to fix my personal life.

"Our names are out there," Rose announced. "Jessica fucking ratdick Stanley gave inside scoop to _TMZ."_

I sighed. "They would have gotten them by tomorrow anyway." _Rolling Stone_ was apparently going to press early just to be the first with the inside scoop on me and Bella. _People_ was right around the corner as well. Photogs and reporters were en route. It made my head spin. "Plus your name is already public record because of the arrest."

"Yeah, but that bitch says she isn't surprised I was arrested because I've always displayed violent tendencies. I'll show her a fucking violent tendency!" Rose was storming around the room, the iPad in her hand in serious danger of getting tossed. Since it was my iPad, I was a bit concerned about it.

"Shit, we're just lucky she didn't talk before this. She's sent me a boatload of text messages," Bella told us.

"Yeah? Did she tell you she opened her fucking mouth about Tyler?" Bella blanched and I wrapped my arms around her. That fucking guy?

"What did she say?" Alice asked, her gray eyes hot.

" _Bella's had a very tough senior year. She'd been dating Tyler Crowley practically since the first day of school freshman year,"_ Rose quoted, scowling. "Bullshit. You got together with him toward the end of the year. Of course Jessica has to fucking embellish." She cleared her throat. _"Coming into this year, she found out that he'd been cheating on her for God knows how long and he knocked up his old girlfriend back home. He didn't return to school and told Bella over the phone that it was over. She was crushed."_

Bella groaned and I kissed the top of her head. "It's okay, baby."

"It's not okay. It's humiliating. Why did she have to tell them that?" Bella demanded. Because she was clearly a bitch and a half.

"Oh, she told them more than that," Rose fumed. _"I'm pretty sure she was clinically depressed for months. We all called her Unabomber behind her back because she was constantly hiding in this gray hoodie. I was really worried she was going to hurt herself."_ Rose's face was a mask of pure fury. "I'm going to crush that bitch hard. What utter horseshit! Just because you didn't fuck every other guy on campus like she did doesn't mean you were clinically fucking depressed. I would have known if you were and I damn well would have gotten you help!"

"You did help," Bella reassured her. "I can't believe Jess would do that."

"Oh, she's grabbing her fifteen minutes of fame. We'll see how much talking she can do when I get through with her," Rose muttered. She sent a text from her phone. "There."

"What did you do?" Alice asked.

"Nothing yet. I asked Emmett to get me one of those throwaway cell phones. I'm going to have a little talk with Jessica's parents. See how much talking she can do if they throw her ass in rehab."

"Who says they'll believe you?" Alice rightly pointed out.

"I know where she keeps her stash. She may have been smart enough to move it, but I doubt it. If she was smart, she wouldn't have run her trap, would she? It'll have to suffice until I'm back in Washington and can kick her ass live and in person."

"Rose, don't you think that…"

" _The other girl with them is their sidekick, Alice Brandon,"_ Rose quoted.

"Sidekick!" Alice thundered. "I'll show her a god damn sidekick!" And she was off and plotting along with Rose.

I grinned at Bella. "Your friends have very violent tendencies," I observed. Jessica hadn't been wrong about that much.

She laughed. "Yeah, they kind of do, but that's why I keep them around. Saves me from having to do it."

I touched her cheek. "Are you okay?"

"I have to be, don't I? This is what you warned me about. I didn't expect my supposed friends to throw all my skeletons to the press but I guess I should have."

"It's not your skeleton, baby. It's his. You did nothing wrong."

"No, I just look like the pathetic dupe girlfriend."

"Ex-girlfriend," I corrected. "You're with me now. I like to think you consider me an upgrade."

She smiled finally and kissed me softly. "I do. There's no way he could compete with you."

I smiled back at her. "Good. I know how you feel, baby. Let's not forget that the whole world knew Irina cheated on me and hooked up with James on set. It was embarrassing and I felt stupid, but she was the one that looked bad."

"True." Bella leaned against me. "I just wonder what else they're going to find interesting. My non-relationship with my mother? Are they going to go after her? Are they going to harass my dad? Should I call Tyler and ask him not to talk to them? I don't really know what to do here."

I glanced at my watch. "Kate will be here soon and we'll run it all by her. She'll know what to do." I didn't want her calling that asshole, but I certainly couldn't stop her if she wanted to. He didn't deserve her protection in my eyes.

"I could call him," Rose volunteered, smiling menacingly.

Bella laughed. "I'm sure you could, but he probably won't answer after the last time you called him." I wish I'd gotten to see that.

"As to the rest, your father can handle himself and any moron reporter that steps into Forks looking for dirt on you." Hopefully he wouldn't shoot anybody but if he did, he could cover it up. "What could your mom possibly say about you, Bella? Does she even really know you?" I asked.

Bella winced and I wished I could take back my words. "I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean…"

"No, you're right. I'm more concerned about her wanting to meet you and barging her way into my life once she knows that I…" she broke off, scowling.

"Landed yourself a rich guy?" I suggested, grinning. "She can't barge her way in if we don't let her. If you want me to meet her and to let her be a part of your life, I'll support you in that. If you don't, then she can go on living her life."

"She'd have to admit she isn't thirty if she does that," Alice pointed out.

"Fuck Renee," Rose muttered.

"Speaking of parents, have you talked to yours?" Bella asked, effectively changing the subject.

Rose grinned. "I called them last night to tell them I'd been arrested. Dad about shit a brick. He told me to come home, like he has any say in what I do? I told him that I was on vacation and he'd see me when I felt like being seen, or that he could look me up on _TMZ_ if he missed me so much. He wasn't amused."

"I bet he wasn't. What about your mom?" Bella wondered.

"She went on and on about damage to the family name so I told her not to worry about it, I'd be a Cullen soon enough and that's the name I'd be damaging. They aren't too thrilled about me being involved with a stuntman with a shady past." She looked absolutely delighted by that fact. "Apparently the Chief of Staff's son at their hospital has been earmarked for me. They think they can barter me into marriage and get a promotion out of the deal. Fuck that." She shook her head. "Maybe Emmett and I should release a sex tape. That would scandalize the hell out of them."

Somehow I didn't think my brother would object to that idea. "I don't think my parents would be overly thrilled by that one either." Mom had seen enough of Emmett naked, I was quite sure.

Rose sighed. "True. It's a fun damn thought, though. The look on their faces! Maybe we could just make a private one that I could make them think had been released to the public."

"Rose, nobody wants to see and or hear about your and Emmett's sexcapades," Alice told her.

"Oh, they would. We look totally hot together," Rose informed us, smiling brightly. "It wouldn't get quite the hoopla that a sex tape of Bella and Edward would, but I think we'd get some hits."

"No sex tapes for anybody," Bella said. That was a good thing, even though I really loved the thought of watching the two of us together. I knew better though. Sex tapes had a way of getting out and the last thing I wanted was anybody seeing my private moments with Bella.

"No fair," Rose complained good naturedly. "I think that…" she broke off at the knock on my door. "I got it." She went to the door and peeped through the hole. "There's a blonde woman in her late thirties and a man with brown hair, same age," she reported. "Kate and Garrett?"

"Sounds like it." She opened the door and there they were. I couldn't help the surge of relief I felt at the sight of them. I'd been holding it together as well as I could but I needed them to shoulder part of the burden.

"If it isn't Laila Ali," Kate said, holding out a hand to Rose. "It's nice to meet you without there being prison bars in between us."

Rose laughed and shook her hand. "It's Rose, actually, but I do throw a mean punch."

"You'd better to deal with Emmett," Kate responded. "This is my husband, Garrett. He's mostly useless but I bring him along to carry my bags."

He glared at her and shook hands with Rose. "Just how attached to Emmett are you? Because I could use a young…" he broke off when Kate elbowed him in the gut. "Hey, you get to hit on Edward all the time, why can't I hit on a pretty young girl?"

"Because you just look like a pathetic middle aged man when you do it," she informed him. "Bella, it's good to finally meet you. I'm sorry it had to be under these circumstances, but I'll do what I can to make it easier on you."

Bella stood and gave Kate a hug. Kate looked surprised at first but then hugged her back and smiled at me. "Thank you," Bella told her.

"Aren't you sweet? No wonder Edward fell for you. You have nothing to thank me for, sweetheart. I'm here to do my job, which I'm very good at. I'll do whatever I can to make this as painless as possible for you."

Bella released her and smiled. "I hear you're the best."

"Damn right I am. Edward's lucky to have me and since he has me, you all have me. I'll take care of you just like I would our boy over there." She released her and held out a hand to Alice. "You must be Alice. How's your ankle?"

"It's fine today," Ali told her. "Ice and rest worked."

"Well, I'm sorry you went through that. I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen again."

"More like I am," Garrett supplied. He slipped an arm around my girl and grinned at me. "Let's see how you like it." He rubbed Bella's arm. "Hi, beautiful. It's good to meet you."

She laughed and pulled away from him. "Edward warned me you might try to retaliate."

"Damn. Fine, I guess instead of convincing you to run off with me, I'll have to work on protecting you." That was Garrett; always ready to move ahead to do what needed to be done.

"Yes, you will." I hugged Kate and then Garrett even though he was hitting on my woman. "And on that front?" I asked when I released him.

"We've got four body guards from Security Guard on their way. I've already started researching places available to rent or own that are in gated communities or secure buildings. I haven't found any houses that fit the bill but there are a ton of apartments available that might work. I'm going to check out places today and see what seems to be the most secure."

I felt a blast of relief go through me at his words. "Thanks, G."

"No problem. I'm also arranging a car for the girls and the guards, a big SUV, tinted windows. It should be here tomorrow."

"You're pretty efficient," Rose told him. "Thanks. We'll look forward to getting out again, even if we have to have big burly men with us."

"That's just to protect the press from you, slugger," Garrett told her, making her grin. "I'm off to take care of things. Katie, my love, you work your magic here. I'll call you later."

She gave him a kiss and scooted him out the door. "First things first," she said, addressing me and Bella as she sat in one of the armchairs. "Do either of you know a Johann Schmidt?"

I shook my head while Bella answered, "No."

"Well, he's the photographer who took the picture of you that's been viewed around the world. He's the brother of a Karl Schmidt, is that name familiar?" Again we said no. "He's employed at Reinstoff restaurant as a waiter and…" she broke off and nodded at the expression on my face. "Yeah, it was your waiter. We made some calls and it seems he sold you out to his brother after he saw who he was waiting on that night. He wouldn't let him come to the restaurant but he came to the hotel and rightly figured you'd have an alternate entrance. He waited and well, you know the rest. Made a pretty penny for the picture, I'm sure."

Our fucking waiter, who'd already pissed me off by checking out my girl. "I guess I'll be calling Daniel," I muttered. I was glad I knew, finally. Part of me had been wondering if Martin had turned on me, which would have sucked.

"No, Edward," Bella said, touching my hand. "What's done is done. Do we really need to help some guy lose his job after the fact?"

"They attacked you, Bella. I can't forget that."

"I know, but he wasn't responsible for that. The paparazzi were. And it was probably going to happen no matter how we came out. I just don't think it's worth it."

I sighed. She was right, I supposed. What was done was done, but I was still pissed off. "Fine, I won't get him fired." Maybe Emmett and I could go pay him a visit. No, she wouldn't like that either.

"She's great for you," Kate observed with a smile. "He's not the type to get people fired, really he's not. He'd regret it if he did it and you made him see that. Yes, I think you and I are going to get along very well," she told Bella.

"I'd like that," Bella agreed.

"Now, that being done, we'll talk strategy."

"We should go," Alice told Rose, who stood reluctantly.

"I'll check in with the two of you after I'm done here. I'm already getting calls about you and it couldn't hurt to have Bella's best friends weigh in, especially one that got arrested fighting for her."

Rose grinned. "We'll be in my room. Edward will give you the info. See you guys later." And then there were three.

Kate booted up her computer. "I've seen the latest stuff on _TMZ_ identifying you. A Jessica Stanley? Who is she to you?" she asked Bella.

"She's sort of a friend, more of a frenemy," Bella told her, making Kate laugh.

"I'll say. She didn't really do you any favors there but we can spin it out and make it right. Is she correct on the depressive killer thing?"

I glared at Kate while Bella shook her head. "No. I wasn't overly social and of course I was a little depressed. More than that, I was embarrassed. Everybody we hung out with knew what he'd done and they'd give me that look, you know? That said they were sorry and pitied me but at the same time wanted to dig in and know how it felt."

"I get you," Kate replied. "The stuff about the ex is true, then?"

"Sort of. We got together toward the end of freshman year, not the beginning. He did cheat and get his girlfriend pregnant and inform me over the phone."

"Okay, so he's a dick. You didn't threaten the girl; try to kill him, anything like that?" Kate asked.

Bella snorted out a laugh. "God, no. Why would I do that?"

Kate grinned. "Honey, I work in Hollywood. Trust me, that's nothing. But it's all good. Have you had any contact with him since the breakup? Anything that could look bad?"

Bella looked uncomfortable. I slid my arm around her and she relaxed a little bit. "Not exactly. He sent me flowers on what would have been our anniversary saying that he loved me and missed me and stuff. I threw them away."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "Megadick. He did that while his girlfriend was carrying his baby?"

"Wife," Bella corrected. "Yeah, she was nearly ready to have the baby at that point. They had a girl, if that's relevant."

"And you know that because?" Kate prompted. She was jotting down notes.

"Because Jessica told me. I haven't spoken to him. Rose did, though."

"She did, did she?" Kate grinned. "I can guess how that conversation went."

Bella giggled. "She may have threatened him with her scalpel if he contacted me again. He hasn't." She bit her lip and looked nervous. "Should I? I mean, his name's out there now. Should I call and warn him or ask him not to say anything?"

I kept from scowling, barely. Kate eyed me and shook her head. "No. In cases like these, asking people not to talk can be worse than if they do talk. He's the asshole here, and I don't think he could spin it in a way that makes you look bad. You've had no contact with the wife?"

"No. I don't even know if she knows about me." Bella cringed. "She probably will now, though."

Kate laughed. "That's his problem and it sounds like he deserves it. Anybody else that we need to worry about?"

"She has a stalker named Mike Newton," I supplied, getting a beady eye from Bella. "What? It's true."

"First, he's not a stalker, just a guy who asked me out a lot."

"And wouldn't take no for an answer, and constantly showed up where you were," I reminded her, smiling innocently.

"Still, even if he does talk to the press, I doubt he'd say anything bad about me."

"He could lie, but it's doubtful. I'll make note of him and keep my eye out." Kate wrote some more things down. "What about you? Were you ever arrested?"

Bella laughed. "My dad's a police chief. No, I've never been arrested or done anything that would be an arrestable offense." We'd have to work on that, maybe test the public indecency laws somewhere. I smiled thinking about it.

Kate shot me a suspicious look but said nothing. "Good. Any enemies? Anybody that hates you and might say shit about you for fun?"

"Besides Jessica? Not that I know of. Lots of people dislike Rose but that's mostly because they're afraid of her. I can't imagine them coming after me."

"Alright. Any scorned lovers? One night stands that could come out of the woodwork?"

Bella shifted and blushed. I laughed. "I know all about your past, baby."

"That doesn't mean I want everyone to."

"Likely they won't, but just in case," Kate prompted.

"I dated a guy named Eric Yorkie in high school. He was my first; we were together just under two years. We broke up because of college and we're still friendly, if not friends. I didn't hook up with anybody until Tyler. After Tyler, there was a one night stand with a guy named Sam but I really and truly doubt that he's going to say anything about that. It was humiliating for both of us. Then there's Edward."

"Last and best," I interjected, making Bella laugh. I hated that she was getting exposed like this. Hopefully all of it would stay between us and Kate, well, all but the Tyler stuff.

"Exactly. Okay, your father's a cop. I assume he doesn't have any sordid past that might be thrown in our faces."

Bella looked positively horrified. "No! I mean, I don't think so. If he does, wouldn't it have come up when he became a cop?"

Kate laughed. "Probably. I'm just checking. You never know who might decide to talk. An ex-girlfriend of his, a past co-worker. People like to take their shot in the limelight."

"Dad didn't really date until recently. He's living with a woman named Sue Clearwater. She's lovely."

"And your mother?" Kate asked.

I took Bella's hand and squeezed. I knew this sucked for her. "She left when I was three. I've only seen her a couple of times since then. We talk once a month or so, but she's more of an acquaintance than a Mom." Bella bit her lip.

"It's okay, baby. Tell her everything," I prompted.

"She dates, a lot. And she's into guys with money. Younger guys with money. She doesn't know about Edward, yet, but when she does…well, I have no idea what she'll say or do."

Kate's blue eyes hardened and she wrote furiously. "Name?"

"Renee Higgenbotham but I think she uses Swan a lot still."

"Can't blame her," Kate muttered. "Where does she live?"

"Florida last time I checked. She was off to New York with some banker named Paul that thought she was thirty."

Kate grinned. "She lies about her age? Well, she'd have to cop to a lot older than thirty if she decides to run to the press. That's good. I can work with that. Do you think she's going to be a problem?"

Bella shrugged. "I honestly don't know. She's never given me a lot of thought. Might she now that I'm with Edward? Yeah, it's possible. I have no interest in being around her, though."

Good. She was a user and I knew all too well what that was like. "Alright. I'll look more deeply into her. For now, when you're asked about her, just keep it simple. Your parents are divorced, your mom lives in Florida, and you talk to her on the phone but don't see her often. Don't mention any static; they'll want to dig in there. Just be vague, don't say you refuse to see her, just say you're busy right now but you hope to see her soon if it comes up. Don't volunteer things they don't ask."

Kate sat back and smiled at us. "I honestly don't think much of this is relevant or will come into play, but I like to be prepared on the off chance that it does. What the public wants, Bella, is your love story. They want to know how a college student from Washington landed a movie star from California. Be yourself. Show the love you feel for him. Try not to get angry when and if they push you on if those feelings are real. If they have eyes, they'll know. You two are constantly touching, leaning into one another, looking at each other and it's clear how you feel. Don't change that."

She turned to me. "Edward, you have to control your urge to take over and fight for her. If they ask something you don't like, give Bella a chance to answer or deflect it. If they persist, then step in. I know it's in your nature to want to protect her, but she can handle herself just fine as you've seen."

I sighed. She was right, but that didn't mean I had to like it. "Edward, I can handle it," Bella reassured me.

I touched her cheek. "I know, baby. I just hate that you have to endure it."

"I'm not very interesting," Bella said, making my jaw drop. She giggled. "You know what I mean. There are far more fascinating people to write about than me. Once we give this interview and the _People_ one, I doubt that they're going to be interested."

"They will, but not necessarily in talking to you. Edward, you need to get an evening off and go out with Bella. No hiding this time. You can take one or two of the bodyguards with you, but we want them to get pictures of you two holding hands, having fun, maybe even kissing." She shook her head when I glared at her. "You know damn well that they want the money shot. The sooner they get it, the less interested they're going to be."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "I hate performing for them like that."

"Don't think of it as performing. Just go out and have a good time. You guys have spent three weeks holed up here. Don't you want to go out to a club or a restaurant or go shopping or something? Forget the cameras, focus on the girl," Kate commanded.

I looked at Bella. "Focusing on the girl is never a problem."

She grinned at me. "I don't mind, Edward. I love the picture of the two of us they've got already. What's a few more?"

More than a few, I knew that a few wouldn't do it. "Alright. I'll try to squeeze some time off from Dave."

Kate laughed. "He's pissed about today, huh? He'll get over it. You've never caused a problem before. If he has a problem with it, I'll talk to him."

"I'll handle it. We're ahead of schedule anyway. He's being a dick because I walked off the set yesterday but honestly they didn't need me for that much anyway. It was reaction shots and close-ups."

"It's fine. He's not going to trash his meal ticket. And frankly, the fact that you came running when your girl got in trouble just makes things more romantic. People will eat that shit up." Kate glanced at her watch. "Bree will be here shortly and I've got about a billion phone calls to return. Do you two have this down?"

"Yes," we both said.

"Okay. I'll be back when she gets here. I'm going to make sure she doesn't step out of line or make you uncomfortable, Bella. I can look like the bitch if she pushes too hard, okay?"

Bella grinned. "Okay. But I can be a bitch when I need to be."

Kate laughed. "Save it for when we need it." She got up. "I'll bring Bree up when she gets here."

"Thanks, Kate. I'm glad you're here," I told her.

She grinned. "There's nowhere on earth I'd rather be. Let the fun begin." Indeed, fun. Well, we'd try.

Xoxoxoxoxoxox

"Edward Cullen, it's nice to see you again." Bree Tanner held out a hand to me as I ushered her into our room. Bella was still in the bathroom fussing with her face. It was funny to see her worried about that kind of thing, but I supposed it was a girl thing.

"Bree, I'd say the same but I think you know that I'm not overly happy with the press right now."

She laughed while Kate shot me a look. What? Bree liked that I kept it real. "I can't say I blame you. We're running that picture of you shooting the bird in this article. You remember our photographer, Caz?"

"Yeah." I shook his hand. He was silent as usual. "We thought we'd just do the interview here. Bella and me on the couch and you in the chair."

"That works. Caz will do his thing. Just pretend he's not here. And where is your lovely lady?" she asked.

"I'm right here," Bella supplied, stepping out of the bedroom. She was wearing a yellow sundress that left her shoulders bare except for thin straps. She'd gotten a bit of a tan from all her sightseeing and she looked beautiful. She had her hair tumbling over her shoulders and wore a little makeup. I held out a hand and she smiled and linked her fingers with mine. "Hi, Bree. I'm Bella." I saw a little something flicker in Bree's eyes and I had a feeling she thought my Bella was as gorgeous as I did.

The two girls shook hands and I pulled Bella over to the couch. She sat next to me, crossed her legs and smiled confidently at Bree. Not even a minute in and she was already impressing the hell out of me. I loved her, so much.

"It's very nice to meet you, Bella. I'm sorry that it's under slightly troublesome circumstances." Bree took out her recorder and smiled at me. I nodded as she turned it on. Kate sat in the chair behind Bree, so Bella and I could see her expressions and prompts but Bree couldn't.

Bella nodded. "They weren't optimal circumstances, but I'm not sorry that Edward and I aren't a secret anymore."

"You're not?" Bree asked, leaning forward. "Why is that?"

Bella smiled. "Because I'd like to be able to go out to dinner with my boyfriend without us having to take separate cars and practice our James Bond spy techniques. Edward hasn't been able to see any of Berlin except where he's been working, while I've been all over the city. I'd love to share it with him, when his schedule allows."

"I can understand that. It must be hard, dating a celebrity."

Bella laughed. "Until yesterday, it's been really easy, but we've mostly had to keep to staying indoors. I'd never get tired of our bubble, but I am looking forward to expanding it beyond these four walls."

Bree nodded. "Edward, how did you feel when you found out the bubble had burst?" she asked, finally addressing me. This was so new, taking backseat in an interview. I rather liked it, though, especially because Bella was handling it so well.

"I was worried about Bella's safety. When I heard what happened, I came running to make sure she was okay. What the press did to her, crowding her, hurting her and her friends is not acceptable in my eyes. Like Bella, I'll be glad to get out of the bubble and show my girlfriend off to the world, but I won't compromise her safety to do so."

"Your brother and a companion were arrested."

"Yes, but all charges were dropped as it was clearly a case of self defense. I'm glad my brother and his girlfriend, Rose, were there to help Bella. I really shudder to think what would have happened had she been alone."

"You seem angry at the press," Bree observed.

"I'm angry at the way she was cornered and set upon. I'm the actor, not Bella. I wanted her to be able to enjoy her vacation, not be accosted by the press." Kate raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. I hadn't gone too far, yet. Bella squeezed my hand.

"Understandable, but if you'd given out information on her beforehand, this might not have happened."

That was true. "Perhaps, or perhaps she would have been cornered sooner. In hindsight, we might have done things differently, but there's no point in focusing on what we can't change."

"I suppose not. And that's why we're doing this, so you can put to rest the questions about the two of you."

"Yes," I agreed.

Bree turned back to Bella. "Tell me about yourself."

Bella took a breath and I ran my thumb across the back of her hand. I knew she felt weird about talking about herself. "I'm twenty-two, a recent UW college graduate with a degree in English. I grew up in Forks, Washington, raised by my father, Charlie. I read a lot; I like to write, watch movies, play games." She grinned at me. "I love to travel and to cook. That's really all I can think of right now." She shrugged and smiled.

Bree nodded. "I never know what to say when someone asks me that question, either. I'm guessing that your recent graduation was the reason Edward was in Seattle last month?"

Bella laughed. "Yes. He wanted to be there and he and his family came to see my big day. We were still trying to keep a lid on things so Emmett latched on to poor David Cullen and threw the press off."

"I give you guys credit, you managed to pull it off, including dinner out?"

I laughed. "Yeah, that was one of my brother's machinations as well. It worked but I would rather have been able to take her out to celebrate in style. I can make up for that now."

Bella shook her head. "Edward, you've already given me plenty for graduation. Just you being there meant a lot." She turned back to Bree. "He is easily the most wonderful man that I've ever met. You think you know what a famous person's going to be like, but meeting him, knowing him, has been beyond my wildest dreams."

Bree's eyes lit up. "So you were a fan before you met?"

"Of course. I mean, he's beautiful. I never in a million years thought he'd be mine, but we clicked from the very beginning."

"And how did you begin?" Bree inquired.

I was taking this one. I wasn't sure about Bella's lying ability, and even though it was sort of true, it wasn't completely our story we were telling. "My brother bought a new car back in March and he decided we needed to take a road trip to break her in. We drove all the way up the coast and one of our stops was for gas in Seattle. We were planning to head back down after we crashed for the night, but Emmett caught sight of Rose, Bella's friend and roommate. They got to talking and the next thing I knew, we were headed to their apartment. Bella was there and I took one look at her and I knew."

"Really?" Bree asked, looking delighted. "Love at first sight?"

I grinned at Bella. "Yes. It's part of my family's history, actually. We all fall and fall hard. She and I spent the entire night talking and there was no going back."

"We got to have a couple of days before he had to leave, but they came back up and we spent my Spring Break together," Bella supplied.

"I had to come back down for my interview with you and then head over here to start shooting. Most of our time together has been over the phone and through email and such, until she graduated and came back with me," I finished.

"So you've been dating about three months but only spent a month together," Bree noted. "That must be hard."

"Yes and no," Bella told her. "I missed him when we weren't together, of course, but I feel like the time we spent apart let us get to know one another better than we might have had we had all that time together. We spent a lot of time talking and learning about each other, sharing things that maybe we wouldn't have if we'd dated in a more traditional way."

"That's understandable. And now that you've graduated, what are your plans?"

Bella glanced at me. "I guess I'd say that they're fluid at the moment. Edward and I don't want to be apart anymore."

"That's right," I said, bringing her hand to my lips and kissing it lightly.

"I had planned on going to grad school and working toward getting my teaching degree, but having my name and face public now kind of changes things." We didn't need to mention that we'd already changed her plans. We'd talked about it and thought this was a good way to handle it. "I may look into online courses or see about transferring schools."

"You're staying with Edward?" Bree asked, her voice eager. Of course she loved getting that scoop.

"Yes."

"Pretty fast for only having been together such a short time," she observed.

Bella smiled. "Yes, it's quick and scary and exciting all at the same time. But it feels right, and that's the important thing. We're doing what makes sense for us."

"And who can blame you? Though, you're a child of divorce, are you not?" Bella jerked a little but I slipped my arm around her. She relaxed into me.

"Yes, I am, but I believe in love and marriage. Just because it didn't work out for my parents doesn't mean I shouldn't be open to it."

"I agree. You were raised by your father. That's not very traditional, is it?"

She was prepared for this. I stroked her back lightly. "I guess not, but very few families are traditional these days. My father did a wonderful job raising me. I have no complaints."

"Was it hard growing up without a mother, though? There are so many things girls go through that you really don't want to discuss with dear old Dad, right?"

Bella laughed. "I have a mother, and I spoke to her when I needed to. And I was fortunate in that one of my best friends, Alice, had a mother who was willing to step in and deal with some of those pesky girl things as well."

"So you have a good relationship with your mother?" I glanced at Kate, who looked ready to pounce.

"My mother isn't a traditional mother but she's easy to talk to and a good friend," Bella responded, keeping her cool.

"Do you see her often?" Bree asked. I had a feeling that she sensed something and I was getting nervous.

"No. I've been very busy and she has her own life, but I call her when I need her and she's always there."

"Was she at your graduation?" Bree questioned. Bella tensed underneath my touch.

Kate sat forward. "I think you've pounded the mother question into the ground at this point, Ms. Tanner. If you continue along this vein I'll be forced to end the interview at this time and we'll let _People_ have the rest of it."

Bree gulped. "Alright, moving on. There was some information online today that I'd like to delve into, if that's okay?" She was asking Kate instead of Bella, which made me suppress a smile.

"That would be up to Bella," Kate told her.

Bree turned and looked at Bella. "Sure," she replied. She relaxed a bit now that we were off the mother topic.

"A friend of yours said that you got out of a long term relationship last year."

"Yes. I'd dated Tyler for about two and a half years," Bella replied smoothly.

"And he cheated on you, impregnating his old girlfriend?" she prompted.

"Yes. He apparently got back together with his high school girlfriend over the summer when he was home. I found out that he wasn't returning to school and why when I got back in September."

"That had to have been hard."

"It hurt, of course, but it was also embarrassing. It's never fun to have everybody know your business, especially when it involves something like that. His friends were my friends so they all knew what happened and I had to endure the sympathetic looks and that kind of thing."

"It does suck. I think we can all relate."

"I know I can," I supplied, making Bree laugh. "It was something that we talked about early on. A part of me wanted to hurt him for hurting her, but another part of me wanted to send him a thank you card. Anybody that's foolish enough to cheat on a girl like Bella doesn't deserve her."

Bella smiled at me. "I felt the same way about Edward's ex, of course. He's such a wonderful person, beyond being incredibly handsome and smart. I'm grateful that she didn't see what she had."

"Ahh, Irina," Bree observed, shaking her head. "Do you know that she's weighed in on the two of you?"

That was new. "No. I can't imagine how she could weigh in, seeing as she doesn't know Bella."

Bree laughed. "Please, Edward, you know how Hollywood rolls. She said she's happy you found someone that can help you move on."

Bella giggled while I snorted. As if I'd needed help moving on from her. "I can't say that I was having a problem in that area, but I will say that Bella came into my life when I least expected her to. I planned on focusing on my career for a few years and forgetting about dating for awhile. It was so much effort and I figured I had better things to do. But you know what I found out, Bree?"

She looked intrigued. "What?"

"That it's not an effort at all when you're with the right person. Being with Bella is as easy as breathing. She doesn't expect me to be someone I'm not, to do things I don't want to do or like things that I just don't like. She lets me be me and that makes all the difference."

"And you're saying Irina didn't do that?" she asked.

Shit. Was I hitting too close to home? Kate shook her head in warning. "I'm saying that Hollywood relationships involve a lot more stuff. Being seen in the right places, going to the right clubs and parties. That's not really who I am or what I'm interested in. I can do those things now and then, but I prefer quiet nights at home watching a movie and drinking a beer instead of the finest champagne."

"So you and Bella get to have a relationship that's more normal, you'd say."

"It is and it isn't, obviously. We had to stay in, which is different, but I feel like we got to enjoy being a couple instead of being a celebrity couple."

"I think if we'd dated publicly in the beginning, we'd still have spent a lot of time at home. Not because we had to, but because we wanted to," Bella filled in. "I look forward to going out to dinner and being on the red carpet with him, but I wouldn't want to do it all the time. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, I'd say that it does," Bree decided. "You two seem very happy together."

"We are," I agreed.

"We've both had relationships before. I even had one that I thought was love, but once I met Edward I knew that I was wrong. He's exactly right for me."

I grinned at her. "And she's perfect for me."

"You never wanted to date a fan," Bree reminded me, like I needed that.

I chuckled. "That's true. I didn't think someone that wasn't in the business could understand my life and put up with the demands that it entails. I also didn't know if a fan could like me who I really am or if it would be all about Edward Cullen, movie star. Bella's shown me that none of that mattered and she likes me for me."

"Loves you for you," Bella corrected.

"Loves me for me," I repeated. I kissed her, then, because I couldn't help it. She was wonderful and impressive and handling this all so well.

Bree laughed. "Don't mind me, I'm just writing down everything you say and do."

I chuckled as I pulled back. "Sorry. It couldn't be helped."

"So do you think you're going to be able to handle his world, now that you're public?" she asked Bella.

"Yes," she answered without hesitation. "I got a crash course yesterday, of course, and if that didn't send me running, nothing will. I'm looking forward to spending our lives together, in and out of the house."

I grinned. "I honestly can't wait to show her the world, now that we're not hiding anymore."

"Well, if it means anything, you've got at least one reporter rooting for you two to make it work. You've been a delight," Bree told us, flipping off her recorder. "Did you get everything you need, Caz?" He nodded and Bree stood.

"Thank you for keeping your word with me, Edward. You didn't have to do that when everything broke, but you did and I won't forget it." She offered a hand, which I shook. Then she turned to Bella. "You seem like a lovely, grounded woman. Things do get crazy in our world, but I think you'll handle it. I wish you both luck." Bella smiled and thanked her. "We'll be going out to press as soon as I get this written up. I'll see that you have a copy." She shook hands with Kate. "Will I be able to speak with Rose and Emmett and perhaps the other girl, Alice?"

"I've arranged that," Kate told her. "I'll take you there in a moment. If you'll wait out in the hall for me?"

"Absolutely. Thanks again, you two."

She and Caz left and Kate wrapped us both in a hug. "You rocked that! It couldn't have gone better if I scripted it. Your absolute love for one another was palpable. I'm so proud of you," she told Bella. "Now I'm going to go make sure Rose and your brother keep things classy."

I snorted. "Good luck with that."

"I know. I'm going to earn that raise yet. I'll see you tomorrow. Celebrate tonight."

She left and I scooped Bella into my arms. "She had that right. You were great, baby. It was like you'd given a hundred interviews before."

She laughed. "I don't know; I froze up when she brought up my mom."

"But you handled it and so did Kate. You were amazing."

"You make me feel that way," she told me, laughing.

"Allow me to make you feel that way right now." I carried her into the bedroom and undressed her quickly. "I love you and I can't wait to show you off to the world."

"Just you, right now. The world tomorrow." Yes, the world could wait. Tonight was for us.

* * *


	48. Chapter 48

"You are truly magical," I told her as we slid into the limo.

Kate grinned at me. "Like there was ever any doubt about that fact? All it took was a little reminder about what all this publicity was doing for the movie and Dave had no problem springing you for an evening."

I rolled my eyes. "He had problems earlier in the week." A day and a half off and you'd have thought I asked him to let me fuck his wife. Actually, he probably would have taken that better.

"That's because nobody expects you to be a Hollywood diva," she said, giggling when I gave her the stink eye. "You just have to bottom line it for producers and directors. Any publicity is good publicity and you and Bella are all over the place. I've gotten you to mention the movie in every interview you've given and every piece of print I've read mentions that you're shooting _Steele_ and that Bella's in town to support you. Millions in free advertising right there. Once they see the dollar signs, they won't care if you and Bella get caught screwing on the remains of the Berlin Wall."

I snickered. "You're so classy, Katie."

"Don't you forget it," she declared. "I can spin anything, Cullen, which is why you hired me. This is absurdly easy, though. No spin required. Response to the two of you has been overwhelmingly positive."

I didn't really care, but that was probably a good thing. "As long as they back off of Bella, they can say whatever they want."

Kate raised an eyebrow and I shrugged. "Perception, Edward, that's what it's all about. These people don't live your life, they don't know you. They want to do both of those things. And if they see just how happy you two are, they're going to want that for you, and for themselves. Give them the dream. There will always be haters and detractors, but right now, the tide is very much in your favor. You want that, trust me."

I did trust her. "With my life. More importantly, with Bella."

She shook her head. "Jesus, the things you say. How does that girl not melt into a permanent puddle of goo when you're around?"

She cracked me up. "She has her moments, but then again, she has the same effect on me."

"It translates, beautifully. I thought Lopez was going to have the vapors after he interviewed the two of you."

Oh, man. "That I'd like to see, the male swoon."

"He's not that male," she replied with a grin. "Seacrest probably would have shed a manly tear over you."

"Do these guys have any idea of the contempt you have for them?" I asked with interest. Kate wasn't one to mince words, but as far as I knew she had a good relationship with pretty much everybody in the industry.

"No. Do you think you're the only actor around here? A good publicist has to know what face to wear at what time," she pointed out.

"True." I was just anxious to get back to the hotel and get to Bella. She was calling her mom today and her text telling me it had gone as well as could be expected hadn't exactly been reassuring. That woman better not have upset her. "Is everything arranged?"

"Yeah, my man isn't so useless after all, even if he can't turn a girl into a puddle of goo with two words." I smirked at her. "As soon as you all leave and lead the lemmings away, Garrett, Riley and Brian will get the girls and Emmett to the apartment. It's gorgeous! The bodyguards will have to double up in one room, but there's one with two single beds so we're all set. I think you'll be happy there. There's a doorman and entry requires check in with him as well as an ID, which Garrett will give you. I assume you and Bella will be in the main master."

"Of course."

"We'll put Emmett and Rose in the other one. Alice will have her own room though if I was her, I'd rotate through the bodyguards."

Good Lord. "Kate!"

"What? Riley and Brian are hot! Toby's not bad at all and Chris is married so he's the only one out. You're all shacked up, she should have some fun."

"You be sure to tell her that," I told her.

"I will. She's young, she's on vacation and there are some hot bods within feet of her bedroom. It would be criminal for her not to act on it."

I laughed. "She likes someone. She doesn't want to, but she does."

"She told me," Kate said with a smile. "But she's not ready to do anything about it even though there's nothing wrong with a younger man, just saying." She wiggled her eyebrows at me and I shook my head.

"You never give up."

"And you love that about me," she pointed out. "There's nothing wrong with a little holiday fun. When in Germany, do a bodyguard!"

"Shouldn't it be, do a German?" I asked.

"Yeah, but that'd be tough for her unless she went home with him and that could be trouble. It's better just to keep it all in the family, or the penthouse, as it is."

"You have sex on the brain."

"Well, of course I do. I've spent countless hours around you and Bella and Emmett and Rose. The sexual vibes bouncing around the room are enough to ignite a fire. It's no wonder Alice needs to get laid. And if you'll remember, you've had my man running all over the city finding you the perfect quarters."

I felt a pang. "I'm sorry, Katie, I…"

"You have nothing to apologize for. This is our job. And I see plenty of that man, working with him and living with him and such. I might actually miss him a little when I run off with George."

I chuckled. "I have no doubt that you will."

"I'll send him a postcard from Lake Cuomo to let him know I'm thinking of him."

"You're such a sweet wife."

"We can't all be Bella," she told me with a grin. That was true. My girl was special and she wouldn't eye Clooney or anybody else.

"She's amazing," I said, smiling like I always did when I saw her.

Kate laughed. "You look just like that whenever you talk about her and look at her. The pics in _Rolling Stone_ and _People_ are amazing."

"You've seen them?" As far as I knew, both were coming out in a couple days.

"Of course I have. You know I get early copies so I can make sure things are accurate." She pulled up something on her iPad. "Look."

She held it out to me and she was right, they were amazing. Bella looked stunning in her yellow sundress, her skin glowing, her eyes shining. She just looked sexy as hell and the way she looked at me was intoxicating. I knew, of course, but it was different to see it through the camera lens like that. No wonder I had to divest her of her clothes as soon as we were alone. The picture where I'd forgotten myself and kissed her was awesome. I was going to get that blown up and we could put it up at home when we got there.

The _People_ pictures were just as good. Bella wore a black skirt and some berry colored top thing in that one. She was beautiful and hot and I'd been forced to take her again as soon as we finished that one. It was a lot of fun, watching her talk and charm the interviewers. She was smart, sweet and gorgeous and all mine. That's what came across in each interview we'd done. If I hadn't loved her already, I would have fallen for her just watching her wrap the reporters around her finger. Kate could joke about Mario Lopez all she wanted, but the way that guy reacted to my girl had me wanting to punch him in his shiny face. I was pretty sure Bree had been into her too.

"They're great," I told her.

"I know. I think these, coupled with the pictures those assholes get of you tonight, should satisfy the hunger people have for the two of you. Though, unless I miss my guess, Bella may garner some interest from the industry."

"Interest?" I asked. It hadn't even occurred to me.

"Of course. She's beautiful, articulate, charming, she's funny when she wants to be and she's yours. She may get offered a reality show, hosting gigs, one of the talking head type jobs at _E!"_

"God, I hope not." I'd support her, if she wanted to do one of those things, but I'd hate it. I had a feeling she would, too. She may be handling it better than I could have hoped, but she preferred our quiet life to the public one as well. It was one of the things I adored about her. Irina had been all about the public life and I hated it. Just another reason that Bella was the right girl for me.

"We're here," Kate said, interrupting my musing. "Are you ready?"

Was I ready to get out of the hotel and take Bella out on the town? Absolutely. Was I ready to share her with the world? No, but I had no choice in the matter. "Yeah. Let's do this." I got out and ignored the reporters that tried to crowd around me. They could have my attention on the way out. The show was about to begin, but I wasn't going to let it take away from who we were together. This night might be about giving them what they wanted while we got moved someplace more private, but it was also about my girl. We were going to have a good time. It was impossible not to when we were together. Berlin, here we come.

Xoxoxoxoxox

"Hey, baby, I just need to…" I broke off when I caught sight of her. My Bella was a vision in a blue dress that showed off her curves to perfection and left a lot of bare skin. A lot of delectable, sexy, lickable skin. "You look gorgeous," I managed when I could speak again. The only jewelry she wore was the apple pendant I'd given her.

"You don't think it's too much?" she asked, fidgeting a little as I stepped toward her.

"If it were any less I wouldn't be able to take you anywhere without having to commit a hundred acts of violence," I told her honestly.

Bella giggled. "I meant, is it too fancy? We're just going to walk around and eat somewhere simple, right? I don't want to look like I tried too hard."

I brushed her hair over her shoulder and let my fingers trace over her shoulder. She shivered a little at just that light touch. I groaned. Why, of all nights, did we have to go out tonight? "You're perfect, baby. You don't look like you tried too hard. You look beautiful. So beautiful that the last thing I want to do is go out and share you with anyone. You're all mine."

Bella smiled and wrapped her arms around my neck before kissing me lightly. "Thank you. You always know what to say to calm me down."

"You always know what to do to work me up," I countered, making her laugh. "Let me grab a quick shower and we'll head out. Are Toby and Chris ready?"

"Yep, they're next door waiting for us." I kissed her one more time and released her as I went over and pulled some pants and a black t-shirt from the dresser. I reached for a black button down but Bella shook her head and handed me a dark green one. "I love this with your eyes."

I smirked and took it from her. "Whatever you like, baby. Or should I wear blue to match you?"

She shook her head vehemently. "Oh no, we're not going to be one of those couples!"

I laughed and kissed her nose. "Agreed. Why don't you come talk to me while I take a shower?"

She giggled. "We both know if I do that, we'll never leave."

And that was a problem because? No, even if I could convince her to play hooky, Kate would come and throw our naked asses out to the wolves. We had to get this done. "Alright, I'll be right out."

I hurried through my shower and checked myself out in the mirror. Shave or stubble? "Should I shave?" I called out to Bella. Dave would be pissed if I did, since Steven Steele hardly had time to deal with such matters, but if she wanted it, I would.

"Are you kidding? Stubble," she called back. I grinned and got dressed, running the towel through my wet hair and letting it fall where it may. Supposedly that was the look that women loved on me and since it was the easiest, who was I to quibble?

I came out of the bathroom and saw Bella standing by the window, looking out at the city. She looked lost in thought. "Are you okay?" I asked, crossing the room and wrapping my arms around her waist.

She sighed and relaxed against me, turning her face into my neck. "Just nervous."

I leaned my cheek on top of her head and held her. "You'll be fine," I swore. "I wouldn't take you out if I didn't think we could keep you safe."

She turned and took my face in her hands. "I know. I don't think what happened on Monday is going to happen again, not with you and the bodyguards there. I'm just nervous about all the eyes that are going to be on us. It feels weird, you know?"

I did know, all too well. "I do. All I can tell you is that you eventually get used to it and can tune it out, though there are usually some people who will get through your guard but it's not so bad."

Bella laughed and kissed my cheek. "We'll see about that. You always make me feel better. Thanks, handsome." She straightened my collar before taking a deep breath and smiling at me. "Let's go do this."

I smiled and offered her my hand. "May I escort you out for the evening, Isabella?"

She giggled and gave me a considering look. "I suppose I have nothing better to do."

"I do," I said with a wolfish grin, making her laugh harder. "But Kate will kill us if we do what I want to do."

Bella grinned and took my hand, twining her fingers with mine. "We'll just have to do it when we get to our new place. We have to break it in, don't we?"

She was so perfect for me. "That we do. I can't wait to explore the whole place with you."

"Rein it in, Cullen; we are sharing with a billion other people."

Yeah, that was a shame. Still, we'd find a way to have our alone time, of that I had no doubt. I led her to the door and stopped before opening it. I brought her hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles. Her eyes darkened and her breathing sped up. "If it gets to be too much for you, too much at all, you let me know and we'll get out of there. You're my priority, not the publicity and the press. Okay, baby?"

"I'll be fine, Edward," she assured me, smiling softly.

I loved her confidence. "I know you will. Keep your focus on me and they'll all fade away."

"That should be easy enough," she said. "You're all I see."

I grinned. "Same goes, baby. Unto the breach," I announced, opening the door. Here we go.

Xoxoxoxoxox

It was rather surreal, even for me, when we stepped outside of the hotel hand in hand, flanked by Toby and Chris. It was like there was a moment of silence, as if nobody could believe what they saw, and then an explosion of shouts and flashes erupted. I had a moment to wish that we'd brought all four body guards as people surged around us but Toby was a pretty effective blocker, a huge former football player that made Emmett look almost normal in comparison. He pushed the bodies back as Bella held on to my hand tightly. Chris was next to her on my orders. I ignored the jostling beside me and just kept surging forward to where Hans awaited with the limo.

I almost felt like I was at the Oscars, although at least there the majority of the cameras were held back and everybody was orderly. Here it was a mass of bodies and colors and craziness. No wonder it scared Bella. It sort of scared me and I was used to it. My girl, though, kept her head up, a smile on her face as we made our way to the car. Questions about where we were going, if we'd gotten married, if she was pregnant, were shouted. If I wanted to answer one, I wouldn't have had the chance. We hustled through the crowd and Chris and I helped Bella into the back of the car as Toby kept the reporters back. I got in after her and Chris sat back with us while Toby got in the front with Hans and directed him to take off.

A glance behind us showed, as expected, reporters and photographers running for their vehicles. Good. They'd follow us and the others would get us out of there. Bella and I were coming back to the hotel and going inside, but then cutting out the back way where my brother would meet us and get us to our new place. I was looking forward to being hidden again, if only for awhile.

"Are you okay?" I asked Bella, studying her closely. She looked fine, not a hair out of place and her eyes were clear.

"Much better than last time." She smiled at me and then Chris. "Thank you."

"Just doing my job." I snickered and exchanged a look with Bella. Chris was the least talkative of the bodyguards and we'd wondered if he was like that at home with his wife or if it was just an on the job thing. Toby and Emmett had bonded pretty much immediately, discussing workout regimens and combat training and all sorts of things. Riley and Alice had flirted a bit, so Kate wasn't too far off there. Brian made us all laugh. All in all, I thought we had a pretty good team around us.

I moved an arm around Bella and she leaned into me. "You haven't told me how your conversation with your mom really went," I reminded her, just in case she thought I'd forgotten.

She glanced at Chris but he was looking out the window at the cars trailing us and listening to whatever Toby was saying in his earpiece thingy. Garrett had gone all out with security. "You can tell me," I assured her.

"It went like I thought it would go. She was completely all about you." Bella looked sad and my heart broke for her. How could that woman not see what an incredible daughter she had? "She actually said that she would have come to my graduation had she known you'd be there."

Unbelievable. I fought to suppress the surge of rage I felt and rubbed her bare shoulder in support. "I'm so sorry, baby."

"It's okay. I expected it and she didn't let me down." That was awful. My fingers actually itched to call and yell at her, or better yet, call my mom and get her to yell at her. Bella shook her head. "She wanted to parlay my fifteen minutes of fame, such as it is, into hers."

Bitch. I didn't call women that often, but that's what her mother was. "How?"

Bella sighed. "I don't want to tell you. It'll only make you mad."

Like I wasn't already? I stroked her cheek. "I won't be mad at you, which is all that matters."

She pulled away and looked me in the eye. "She said that I should try to get you to propose to me before you hooked up with your next co-star and that we could have our own reality show where we plan our wedding."

So, I had it wrong. She wasn't just a bitch, she was a fucking bitch. "Bella, I'm so…"

She silenced me with a finger to my lips. "You can't apologize for my mother. I can't apologize for her. She is what she is and I don't think she'll change anytime soon but I told her if she wants to be part of my life, she'd better do so. I said that if she went to the press, she'd have nothing to say about me because she doesn't even know me and she really couldn't dispute that. If she doesn't show our relationship respect, she doesn't get to be a part of my life in any way, let alone be a part of yours."

Warmth surged through the anger that I was feeling. "I'm so proud of you."

Bella laughed. "Proud of me for telling off my mom?"

"Yes. She needed to hear that. If the press shows any interest in her, we'll sic Kate after her but I really don't think she can harm us in any way. Kate said that we're getting a lot of love from the press and the fans."

Bella laughed. "So did Rose and Alice. They've been playing on the boards again. I refuse to read it but supposedly people want my man, my life and my clothes."

I grinned at her. "Well, they are lovely clothes but you're even lovelier out of them. And they can't have me or your life; I rather like things the way they are."

She smacked my chest, laughing. "We do have company, you know."

I actually forgot. Chris was totally unobtrusive which was why he was chosen for tonight. "Can't help it, baby. You bring it out of me."

"Never change," she murmured before kissing me. "Do you think they've gotten out by now?"

"They were going to wait about an hour, so no. But they'll be heading out soon."

It wasn't long before we pulled up to the curb. Prenzlauer Berg was a pretty old area in East Berlin filled with shops and restaurants. We'd had to select something outdoors with plenty of things to do for our night out specifically so the press could get their pictures.

"Look at that," Bella murmured, pointing to a tall building that looked like a really old church shooting up into the sky. "It's gorgeous."

It really was. There was also a street fair of some sort going on, which I'd read up on. They had booths of food and crafts and whatnot, which I thought would be fun for Bella and I to explore. Lots of people, but that was what it was all about. We were going to try to blend and just be normal people for awhile, if we could.

"Are you ready, love?" I wanted to get out of the car before the press got into position to surround us again. They could get their pictures as we were walking about, but I wanted them to have to go through the rest of the crowd to get to us.

"Yes!" She was caught up in the sights and the people and not even thinking about the press right now, I could tell. That was a good thing. I nodded at Chris and he murmured something. Toby opened the door and I stepped out first, holding out a hand to Bella. She took mine and I helped her out, blocking her body and making sure her dress didn't ride up. We didn't need her to have a Britney moment, thank you very much. She looked great, though, so I stepped aside and we hit the street. Already I could feel the eyes on us but I kept my gaze on Bella.

She had a half smile on her lips and her eyes were wide as she took everything in. "Look at these buildings. I bet they're really old. It's one of the coolest things about Europe, isn't it? How long everything's been around and the history behind it all. I love it."

I drew her to my side and slipped an arm around her, loving her and her enthusiasm. "It is really neat and I'm glad I get to share it with you, finally."

She focused on me fully then and before I knew it, her arms were around me and she was kissing me right in the middle of the sidewalk. A part of me heard cameras clicking but I shut that out and lost myself in my girl and in her moment of complete unawareness of our surroundings. I'd thought she'd be inhibited and that I'd have to remind her to ignore the people around us but here she was, a minute into our date, and she was caught up in me instead. This is what I hoped for, for both of us.

When we finally broke apart, I grinned at her and kissed her nose. "What was that for?"

She shrugged and took my hand again. "I'm just so glad that you finally get to go out and see a little of the city beyond where you're filming and that I get to be a part of it. This is how it should be."

I squeezed her hand and pulled her along the sidewalk. There were people gawking at us, cameras aimed in our direction but I tuned it out and just gave my attention to my girl. The reporters were here but they were staying back and taking their shots rather than clamoring around us. Chris and Toby were on either side of us, giving them any angle they wanted to capture the two of us on film, so the need to come right at us wasn't there. And they probably wanted some more pictures like the one they'd just gotten, which wouldn't happen if we were surrounded.

Bella tugged me to a stop in front of the window of some clothing shop and she giggled and pointed at the crazy German hats in the window. "I should get you one of those."

I grinned. "Looks like what Chevy Chase wore in National Lampoon's European Vacation." Her eyes lit up and I shook my head. "Don't you even think about it. I'm not wearing lederhosen."

"It's not like I don't dress up for you," she reminded me quietly.

As if I could ever forget. I'd forget my own name before I forgot the visions of Bella in her teacher, student and cop get ups and whatever else she surprised me with along the way. "That's different, baby. There's nothing sexy about lederhosen."

"Says you," she said, giggling when I poked her in the side. "Alright, no lederhosen. But you are getting the hat." She tugged me into the store and plucked a green hat with a couple feathers poking out of it from a shelf. She put it on top of my head and laughed madly at the picture I made. Some customer snapped a picture before I could take the thing off, but Bella's laughter had me caring less about it. We were having fun, that's what tonight was about.

She hauled me over to the cash register and handed over some money before I could even get out my wallet. "Nope, it's a present," she told me when I started to protest.

I laughed as we came back outside with my hat in a bag. It was a good thing she didn't want me to wear it right now. I would have, but I'd rather not. "Some present, baby. You know what kind of present I'd like?" I aimed her toward a window with some scantily dressed mannequin in black, lacy lingerie.

Bella shook her head. "Do you really want my father to see pictures of the two of us entering and exiting a lingerie store loaded down with packages?" She hadn't even finished her sentence before I had her in front of the next shop, which made her laugh herself silly. "You're too cute," she observed when she calmed down.

"I value my life," I responded, kissing her hand again. "Are you hungry?"

She looked a bit apprehensive but she nodded. "Do we have to go someplace fancy?"

I snickered. "No, baby, you don't have to eat any weird rich people food. There's some of everything here. French, Turkish, Italian…" I broke off when her eyes lit up at the mention of Italian. "Spaghetti it is." We walked a little ways until we ran across a small restaurant that had very little indoor space but a lot of tables outside with big black umbrellas over them. "Will this do?"

Bella smiled. "It looks perfect."

"You're just happy you can eat something you recognize," I observed, which made her laugh and shrug.

"What can I say? I'm a simple sort of girl."

"Nothing simple about you, beautiful, except how easy it is to love you."

She grinned and kissed me again. "It's way easier to love you, trust me."

"May I seat you, sir?" a man with an Italian accent asked. That was comforting. I wasn't sure how Germans did with Italian cooking, but what did I know?

"Thank you." Bella and I followed him to a table in the corner and I held her seat for her while she smiled at me. Toby and Chris pulled chairs over behind us, keeping a barrier between the black fence and the people that started gathering around taking pictures.

"Esme taught you manners," she observed after I slid her seat toward the table.

"Did you expect anything else?" I asked.

"No, you're better than I even dreamed."

The host handed us menus and asked if we'd like some wine. Bella met my gaze and nodded so I ordered a nice red to go with whatever pasta we chose. The menu was in Italian but it was easy to recognize certain words so I didn't have to translate for Bella and I decided to go with lasagna. My phone buzzed with a text from my brother letting me know they'd gotten out without a problem. Thank God.

"What are you having?" I asked Bella. My hand found her leg under the table and she grinned at me.

"Chicken parmesan," she decided. Good, that would work well with the wine. A waitress came over and stood in front of us, staring at me. Bella giggled quietly but the girl didn't even hear her.

"You are Edward Cullen, yes?" she asked, still holding our bottle.

I braced myself and smiled. "Yes."

"I'm big fan," she told me, her accent heavier than the man who seated us.

"That's great. Thank you," I said, waiting to see if she'd pour the wine or ask to have my children or what.

"Can I get autograph?" she wondered.

"Sure, do you have a pen?" She looked around in confusion and Bella grabbed her purse and pulled one out, along with a little pad of paper.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Isabella." I grinned at my Bella and scrawled my signature and thanked Isabella for taking good care of me and my Isabella. She pocketed the paper with a bright smile and started to walk away.

"Excuse me," I murmured, stopping her. "Could we get our wine and maybe order?"

"Oh, scuzi," she said, turning red and holding out the bottle with a shaky hand.

I stood and took it from her. "I've got it." I didn't want to be wearing it, so I figured that was better if I poured it myself.

"What you like?" she asked Bella, who ordered her chicken parm.

"Lasagna for me, thanks." I turned to Chris and Toby who both shook their heads. Apparently they didn't eat or drink on the job. "Water?" I asked. They agreed to that and Isabella scooted off to put in our order while my Bella finally let loose with some laughter.

"What?"

"I thought she was going to hyperventilate. I hope she manages to get our order in."

I smiled and took her hand, playing with her fingers. "I don't care how long it takes. I'm enjoying the company immensely."

Bella laughed. "I'm glad. Did you know there are about thirty people staring at your back right now?"

I shook my head. "Right back at you, beautiful. Or more accurately, our bodyguard's backs."

"Do you really think it'll die down after this?"

God, I hoped so. "Maybe not right away, but yeah. We'll be a pretty boring couple for them to cover, baby. No break ups, no cheating scandals, no drug problems, you don't have a penchant for shoplifting that I know of…"

Bella giggled at my list of potential drama. "I'm going to get arrested for stealing something cool, like sex toys."

I chuckled. "Be sure to take Rose with you on that occasion. It'll really get them wondering about the Cullen brothers and their women."

"Count on it," she promised with a smile.

Now that she was relaxed and happy I thought I could ask her about what she'd mentioned in the car, and what Kate had said. I wasn't going to bring up her mother again, though. As far as I was concerned, that topic was closed. "Kate thinks you might get some offers after all of this."

Bella tilted her head and studied me. "Offers? What do you mean by offers?"

"Well, kinda like what you said in the car. Reality shows or maybe a talking head on one of the tabloid shows or something."

She scrunched up her face and I kind of hoped someone got a picture of it. She was so damn cute when she did that. And I felt relieved at what I already knew her response was going to be based on the face. I knew my girl, through and through. "I don't want a reality show or to be on TV or anything." Thank God. That was my Bella. "Do you really think they'd want that?"

I laughed. "You're talking about a world in which the Kardashians, who last I checked did nothing other than be rich and date and marry rich guys, have something like ten TV shows. Yeah, I think you'll get some offers." Offers that would no doubt drive me through the roof with rage. I knew damn well that the girly mags would reach out to her. They did every beautiful girl, and even some that weren't beautiful, who came along and got any kind of media attention.

"Gross," Bella muttered. "I have enough cameras on me right now, I hardly think I want to add more that follow me around on purpose. No thank you."

"It makes me insanely glad to hear that," I admitted, touching her cheek. "I'd support anything you wanted to do but I cringe at the thought of you on those Beverly Hills wives shows or whatever."

"Oh, God. Not in this or any other lifetime. I'd end up on _Women in Prison_ if I was forced to hang out with the women on those shows."

She never failed to make me laugh. "As long as I got conjugal visits."

"Perv," she said, giggling madly. "And of course you would. That would be the lure for people to watch. See the celebrity come visit his girlfriend in jail."

"Girlfriend? You'd have to be my wife to be on the other show," I reminded her.

"Or ex-wife. They seem to get a lot more of those than real wives. I wonder why," she muttered sarcastically.

"You'll never be my ex-wife, baby," I promised her as our food appeared.

"Better not be," she warned with a smile. We dug into our dinner and just caught up with one another, me filling her in on the movie stuff and Bella telling me about the fun she'd had with Rose, Alice and Kate when I was away. I was glad they were having a good time even when they were cooped up.

"We ordered this dress from some boutique they found online. They brought it right over," Bella said with no small amount of wonder.

I chuckled. "Of course they did. They want to make a customer out of you. Everybody does, I'll bet. Wait until awards season; you'll have designers fighting to dress you."

"Really? But I'm not famous."

Sweet girl. "You are and you aren't. You're with me which means the cameras will be on you, which means they'll want you wearing their stuff. Unless of course you do that reality show and leave me in the dust."

She tore off a piece of her breadstick and stuffed it in my mouth. "You shut up with that crap. I don't want to be famous."

My food was amazing. It was good to be eating something that wasn't room service or food services from the set. "What do you want to be?" I asked. It was such a first date question that it made me grin.

Bella sighed and put down her fork. "I don't know. Being a teacher was something I'd decided on and figured I could be good at, but it wasn't something I longed to be the way that Rose wants to be a doctor or Ali wants to be a nurse. It just sort of fit for an English major. I don't know if I could be one now anyway."

It was time to tell her my idea. I'd spoken to Marcus and he was open to the idea of her becoming a script reader, but she'd have to pass his 'special test' first. He gave new readers a few scripts; one he loved, one he liked and one he hated and asked them to read and give their opinions. Whoever picked the one he loved and had good reasons got the job. It was pretty straightforward. Plus I had some other ideas.

"First of all, you can be anything you want. There are plenty of private schools in our area that are loaded with children of the rich and famous. Having a teacher that was with someone famous wouldn't even cause them to bat an eyelash."

Bella laughed. "True. If your mom and dad are famous, I'm nobody."

I kissed her cheek. "You're never going to be a nobody, don't say that. Or you could see about doing set tutoring. Child actors need teachers too."

"I hadn't thought about that," she murmured, starting to eat again.

"You could also be a script reader." Her eyes flashed to mine and I grinned. "Marcus is always looking for people with taste to go through the mountains of scripts that cross his desk. We already know that you've got taste. He loved the comedy you picked out for me to do."

"He did?" she asked, sounding excited. Awesome.

"Yes. It was the best of the bunch, according to him. He's willing to give you a try if you want." I took a sip of wine and added the part that to me was most enticing. "It's something you could do anywhere."

That made her smile even wider. "So I could be in London, with you, getting paid to read, which I love?"

I chuckled at the expression on her face. "That about sums it up."

"I love it!" She threw her arms around me and I laughed and hugged her tight. Cameras exploded again but I ignored them and enjoyed my girl's enthusiasm. She pulled back and positively beamed at me. "When can I talk to him?"

"Whenever you like, baby. We'll call him tomorrow if you want and have him send over his test scripts."

"Test scripts?" she asked. I explained the process and she smiled. "I can totally do that. It wouldn't be hard."

Her smile faded and I touched her cheek. "What?"

"Would he only be hiring me because I was your girlfriend? I don't want…"

I cut her off before she could get started. "He won't hire anybody that can't do the job. I'm not going to lie; dating me probably helps you get your name higher on the list of potential candidates, but if you get the job, it's going to be on your merit, not as a favor to me." I loved that she didn't want to use me to help herself. There were very few people that I'd encountered in my life that wouldn't want the edge that knowing me gave them.

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "What if I'm taking a job from someone more qualified?"

I laughed. "More qualified to read scripts? It's not about schooling or qualifications. It's about taste and instincts. They'll take the same tests that you do. Marcus has hired people that just graduated from high school over people with Master's degrees before. You have to have the right eye. I think you do. He's willing to see if you do." I ran my fingers through her hair. "In Hollywood, it's all about who you know. There are few people in that town who haven't gotten a leg up that way. My mom got me started, after all."

"True," Bella said, starting to smile again. I grinned at her and she smiled fully. "Okay, well, you've given me some options and I must admit, the Marcus angle sounds good to me. Maybe I can talk to him and set something up."

"Absolutely," I agreed. "For purely selfish reasons, I hoped you'd lean toward that choice. But you can do whatever you want, including nothing at all." That got her to make the face again which made me laugh. "I know, that's not an option."

"I'm aware that I'll never be on equal footing with you, financially, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to sit around with my feet up lounging at the pool all day while you work your ass off."

"I know, baby. I love that about you. Although I do hope you lounge at the pool now and then in some barely there bikini."

She laughed and shook her head. "You're incorrigible."

"See? You use cool words like incorrigible. The job is totally yours."

"You're such a dork."

"And you love me," I reminded her.

She smiled and leaned toward me. "I do," she murmured before kissing me. I moaned and forgot all about the audience again.

"Back off," a voice growled and Bella and I turned to see Toby towering over some guy who was trying to get a picture. He'd wandered a lot closer than the rest of the photographers and Toby clearly didn't like it. "Sir?" he asked me.

I glanced at Bella. "Ready to go, baby?"

"Yeah," she agreed. I motioned for the check and quickly paid the bill. Chris led the way out as Toby fell behind us. Now that I focused in, it was crazy how many people were lined up along the little black fence watching us make our way out of the restaurant. Some were paps, others were just passersby. I actually sort of missed California. People were a lot more jaded about celebrity sightings there.

We walked hand in hand down the street again, stopping in various shops. I bought Bella a fancy German Cuckoo clock that was probably going to drive me insane but was actually pretty cool with its pine cones and pine tree. She bought me a souvenir beer glass that was shaped like a boot. She'd wanted to get me a stein but they were way too much money and she refused to let me buy my own souvenir. I'd had to sign several more autographs for various people who were brave enough to approach and ask but it wasn't nearly as bad as I feared it would be. The photographers were snapping away but staying out of our way.

"Can we go see the church before we leave?" she asked.

"We can see if it's open," I said, unable to deny her anything. We walked toward the church and stopped several feet away. It was huge and imposing, seeming to stretch very high into the sky. "St. Augustinus Church," I read on the plaque outside. "1927."

"Not as old as I thought, but it's amazing," she murmured. I didn't know if she was aware of the people watching us or not but she smiled at me. "I bet they wonder if we're sneaking in to get married."

I laughed and looped my arms around her. "Would you want to?"

She jerked in surprise. "What?"

The look on her face! I couldn't have stunned her more if I'd donned her beloved lederhosen and done a dance in the middle of the street. "I didn't mean now, baby. I just wondered if you'd like to get married someplace like this."

"Oh." Was she disappointed? Did she want me to propose to her now? I would, in a heartbeat. Of course I needed a ring and I actually had a plan for the when and how but if she wanted to scrap that I had no problem doing so. "No," she decided. "I wouldn't want it to be some kind of sideshow where we're ducking the press and stuff. I'd want to get married at our cabin."

"Really?" I asked, smiling at her. We were on the same wavelength. It made life and our futures so much easier.

"That's where you told me you loved me and that I was your _one._ I can't think of anyplace better."

Neither could I. "Sounds perfect to me, love."

We both looked at the church for a few more moments before she turned to me and smiled. "Let's go home, or where home will be for the next couple of months."

"Sounds good to me." I took her hand and Chris and Toby fell into step again. We got into the waiting car and headed back to the hotel. Bella curled against me and I stroked her arm. I sent a quick text to Emmett to let him know we were en route.

"I just realized that we need to get food." No more room service.

Bella laughed. "You just realized that? It's taken care of. I made a list and Garrett was going to have everything we needed there. We'll be fine."

"But you shouldn't have to cook on vacation, baby."

She peered up at me. "I'm sure we'll eat out plenty, but I love to cook. I'm looking forward to playing in that fancy kitchen that Garrett assures me has everything we could possibly need. And I can't wait to cook for you again."

I kissed her. "It feels like it's all coming together, doesn't it? Like we're finally going to be all the way together. Everybody knows about you, we're living together, you're going to work with Marcus, maybe," I inserted when I saw the look on her face.

"It's exciting," she agreed. "Even though there will be other people around, it'll feel more like we're together at home."

I laughed. "There are other people at home. Emmett."

She giggled. "True. So it'll be just like home, with bodyguards. I'm going to have to cook a lot." She sent a look over to Chris. "You may not want to eat when we're out but you're damn well going to eat when we're in."

He smiled. "Okay, Miss Swan." I thought those might be the only words I'd ever heard him say.

"Good." The car pulled up in front of the building as we got out. There was a lot less press there, but some had hurried back to capture us as we walked into the hotel, which we expected. Chris and Toby flanked us again but it wasn't nearly as daunting as it had been on the way out. We entered the lobby without any problem and cut straight through to the back exit we'd come in the night we'd been caught. It felt like weeks ago instead of days.

Toby peered out and then gave us the go ahead and we darted into the big black SUV. Chris slid in beside me after I got Bella in and Toby run shotgun. My brother grinned at us. "Ready to go, lovebirds?"

"Take us home, Em," I told him. It really did feel like our true life together had begun and it made me feel damn good. Our time together hadn't been long, but it felt like I'd known Bella forever.

"I love you," I murmured, making her smile. I leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I would have married you in that church if you wanted to."

"I love you, too," she murmured back. "I'll say yes when you really ask."

"I know," I said with a smug smile, even though my stomach was flipping around in excitement.

Bella laughed. "Gotta get that reality show, after all."

I tickled her and she shrieked. "Hey, cut it out back there, you two. No distracting the driver!" my brother lectured.

"Right, Em." I pointed at Bella. "I've got some reality for you as soon as we get to our room."

"Our reality is the best kind," she told me, snuggling back against me.

That was true. "I'm going to make all your dreams a reality, Bella."

"You already have." Maybe I had. If she came up with more, I'd make those reality, too.

* * *

****


	49. Chapter 49

"Are you ready, Bella?" I called. God, I was nervous. I didn't get nervous, not usually, but today was the exception to the rule. I wanted everything to be perfect. I glanced at my phone, sitting on the nightstand and tried to control the urge to check it for the hundredth time. It was there. I knew it was there. I had to stop freaking out about it.

I had to get it together. Maybe I should wait. It was her first real red carpet experience, after all. Bella was already nervous enough for the both of us. I'd taken her to a few premieres since we got home, but this was the Golden Globes. And somehow, some way, I was nominated for _Wild at Heart._ Bella was both thrilled and scared, because of course that meant all the more eyes were going to be on the two of us. I wasn't remotely worried about that, though.

Media darlings, that's what Kate called us. Bella had been a big hit in our early appearances on _Extra_ and _Entertainment Tonight._ My promise that interest in us would diminish wasn't entirely correct. We didn't face huge crowds of reporters everywhere we went anymore, that I got right. But people still posted pictures of us all the time. Bella in the grocery store, me at the gym, us at the beach…everything was well documented. We were used to it by now, but tonight was a big one. Bigger than even she knew.

"Just about," she called back. Okay. It was nearly time, then. I studied myself in the mirror over our dresser. Our dresser. How much did I love that? Bella had loved my house, much to my utter relief. Her library was probably her favorite room, but now that we'd picked out a new furniture set together, I thought the bedroom was a close second. She'd been fine with leaving it as it was, but I wanted our bedroom at least to feel like ours.

Living with Bella was easy. Living without Emmett was weird. He and Rose had moved out a month ago. She told him that it felt too much like college, which was definitely true. I couldn't deny that I loved having Bella all to myself. Plus, it wasn't like they went far. They lived two blocks away and we saw them a lot, whenever our schedules allowed.

Rose had started her classes at UCLA and was doing quite well by all accounts. She loved her professors and being my dad's future daughter-in-law certainly gave her some clout around the place. Not that Emmett had popped the question, yet. He had big plans involving sky diving or some such thing. The idiot would probably drop the ring while trying to slide it on her finger, but that was his problem. He was currently working on the newest _Fast & the Furious _movie and having the time of his life.

My Bella had wowed Marcus, not just by picking the right script, but because she'd taken the good script and improved it with several suggestions that hadn't even occurred to him. She was now not only reading, but also editing scripts. Most importantly, she loved her job. She constantly had her nose buried in a script. Her only difficulty was that she mentally cast me in every single one she liked. I pointed out that was a little unfair to the rest of the actors out there but she couldn't help herself. At least I knew that whatever I made next would no doubt be Bella approved, unlike my last project.

Not that she hadn't liked it. She said it was probably the best work I'd ever done and I thought she might be right. She hadn't liked what I'd had to go through to play the drug addicted Wall Street trader who hit rock bottom. I'd lost twenty pounds and still had yet to gain it all back, which meant I had to get a new tux for tonight. Bella and Alec, who had bonded over their dismay with my skinnier frame, were working hard on getting me back to normal. I was surprised that Alec allowed me to skip working out today. He'd probably only done it for Bella, though. He couldn't care less about the pain he was inflicting on my body on a daily basis and the disgusting protein shakes that I had to endure at his hands, but he loved my girl and wanted her happy on this important night. No surprise there, everybody loved Bella.

Jane dragged her off constantly to shop for nights like tonight. Of course, she kind of owed her. I still couldn't believe that Bella had hooked her up with Colin. Yes, the guy that she went out with the night she officially met me. The nice asshole. Jane had bitched about the fact that she just couldn't meet a nice guy in Hollywood other than me and since I was the little brother she never had, she was out of luck. She asked Bella if she knew any and Bella told her as a matter of fact she did and gave her Colin's number. They'd talked for a month before Jane went to Washington and met him. They'd been dating ever since, although they were doing the long distance thing for now. He was going to be there tonight, which was a bit weird. I'd met him officially when he came down to visit last month and he was a nice guy, even if he'd gone out with my girl once. He only had eyes for Jane now, though, so he could stay.

Mom was in heaven now that Bella and Rose were officially living in California. I'm sure she was sort of happy we were back, but the girls, as predicted, had her beyond herself with excitement. We still had a Sunday night dinner every week, but they also had a girl's night at least once a week depending on scheduling. Dad, Emmett and I spent time together when we could as well, seeing as our women abandoned us constantly.

Not everything was perfect, of course, but it was pretty damn close. I knew Bella missed Alice, but she was thrilled that Jasper was at UW now and he and Alice were officially together. Emmett had backed off after a few comments and a prank call or two. He had his fun but he knew not to push too hard. Alice could be sensitive about the age difference at times, but she was mostly good at putting it aside and just enjoying Jasper.

Renee was not around, though Bella had called her to wish her a Merry Christmas and sent her something for her birthday. She'd given a small interview to _TMZ_ that hadn't done any harm, really, but then we'd gotten word that she'd been shopping a reality show to _E!_ and _Bravo._ Or, I should say, Mom found out and effectively quashed it. Renee Swan or Higginbotham was persona non grata in Hollywood and Bella had told her she'd made her choice. She'd bitched to some online rags but it hadn't gotten a lot of play and I was pretty sure that Mom had contacted her and gotten her to back off, even if she wouldn't admit it.

Bella didn't seem bothered by it. She had Charlie and Sue and we'd had a wonderful Christmas with them down here, our first Christmas together. It was amazing, really. We'd known each other for almost a year. Sometimes it felt like a lot longer, sometimes it felt like a lot less. I loved her more and more every day and it was hard to remember what life was like before she was with me. I was glad I didn't have to. Right now I just wanted her to get her gorgeous self out of the bathroom so I could do what I'd been dreaming of doing for months now.

"Baby, aren't you…" I turned away from the mirror and saw her standing in the doorway, a smile on her face. Holy shit. I had no words for how incredible she looked. "Bella," I whispered reverentially, because she deserved it. I should probably thank God for the vision standing in front of me, when I could find my tongue.

She was in red. Clingy, sexy, red perfection. It was a simple dress, unadorned with any of the usual shit women wore on the red carpet. I knew, because she told me, that it was Gucci. They'd gotten a lot of play on the white dress that she wore the night we were caught on film and they practically begged to dress her tonight. This dress wasn't that different than the white one. It had straps, this time, skinny ones, and it dipped low and clung to every curve perfectly. She was exquisite.

"You like?" she asked, smiling slightly at my reaction. I was pretty sure I was drooling.

"You're stunning, baby. I'm not sure that we should go anywhere with you looking like that." I finally found the words.

She laughed and tossed back her head. The hair stylist had left her hair down, with some big curls that fell over her shoulders. Her eyes were smoky and she looked almost dangerous. She was dangerous. My heart was pounding just looking at her and I might have to beat down people on the red carpet. That would be a first.

"You better take me somewhere, Cullen. I didn't spend hours getting rubbed down and gussied up just to sit around and eat pizza with you."

I chuckled and crossed to her, taking her hand and pulling her against me. "Don't knock eating pizza in evening wear until you try it, love." She giggled and I ran my hands over her bare, silky skin. "Can I kiss you or will I ruin the masterpiece?"

Bella laughed and brushed her lips lightly against mine, dancing away before I could deepen the kiss. "That's plenty for now." I pretended to pout but she just ignored me. "Are you ready?"

My heart was pounding again. Yes, I was very ready. I'd been ready for ages. "Just about."

"Does the suit fit okay?" She ran her hands over my shoulders and I smiled at her.

"Yes, it does. I gained another pound, you know."

She frowned. "It's still not enough. I'll make some pasta tomorrow."

The best thing about this gaining weight stuff was that she was making me some delicious fattening foods. The worst thing was that Alec kept reining her in and making me drink his protein crap. They were ganging up on me and it sucked.

"Sounds good," I told her. Okay. It was time. "Just let me look one more time."

Bella giggled as I turned back to the mirror. "You're worse than a girl, I swear."

I smirked as I messed with my hair one more time. Confident on the outside, freaked out on the inside. "You know you want me to look amazing, baby." Here we go. "Can you do me a favor and play a word against Emmett for me?"

I watched in the mirror as she shrugged and reached for my phone. She opened the app and laughed when she saw something. "He played ME? Really? Emmett needs to work on his vocabulary."

No, he really didn't. I gripped the edge of the dresser as she opened the game. She let out a sharp intake of breath and wide brown eyes flew to mine in the mirror when she saw the word me was played off of. I grabbed the box out of the drawer I'd stashed it in and stepped toward her. Her hand came up to cover her mouth and she made a little gasping noise as I got to a knee in front of her.

"You're so beautiful," I told her, forgetting the little speech I had planned. "Almost perfect. There's only one thing missing." I flipped the box open and let her see the four carat princess cut diamond the guy at Cartier and Jane had convinced me was perfect for her. It was big enough that people would see and know she was mine, but not so big that it was gaudy and she'd dislike wearing it. There were some other diamonds down the band that sparkled even in the muted daylight in our room.

I took her hand and tried to focus on what I'd wanted to say. "A year ago, I didn't know you. I didn't think I wanted a girlfriend, let alone a wife. Then you came into my life with a simple word like name and you changed my world completely. You became my world. The odds of us meeting this way had to be astronomical, but we were meant to be. You found me through a game and I thought I'd complete the circle by using our game to ask you if you'd take my name and become my wife. I love you, Bella, more than I could ever say. Will you marry me?"

There were tears in her eyes and she nodded her head rapidly, finally managing a choked "Yes" between her fingers. I took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger. It was a perfect fit, just like she was for me. I stood and she threw her arms around me, kissing the life out of me. There was the kiss I wanted. Tears were streaming down her face as she kissed me over and over again. I laughed and wiped the tears away when we broke apart.

"Maybe I shouldn't have done this when you were all made up," I said, not that I was sorry. My heart was soaring and I felt like I'd just won an Oscar. No, far better than that.

Bella laughed and took the handkerchief I held out to her, dabbing her eyes. "No, it was perfect. You were perfect. I can't believe you used _Words_ to propose to me."

I picked her up and spun her around. "The game brought us together; I figured I should use it to seal the deal."

She giggled as I set her down. "How long did it take you to get the right letters?"

God, if she only knew. "I think Emmett and I had to swap tiles a good thirty or forty times. Of course, he just needed an E, so he was fine the whole time, but it took me forever to get the letters for MARRY." I picked up my phone and showed her. "Then I had to make sure that you could play the right thing on it."

Bella smirked as she looked at the other letters on my phone. She dragged the E and S to the Y. "I notice you didn't give me an opening to spell no," she observed, grinning hugely. Like she would.

I shrugged, still grinning. I had a feeling I'd never stop smiling tonight. Maybe never again. "It's not my fault that NO doesn't play anywhere on the board."

Bella snickered. "Even if it did, I'd never play it." She kissed me again. "I love you so much, Edward. I can't wait to be your wife."

"Me either, baby. I was thinking maybe in October?" We were booked for awhile. In March I started the romcom, and then we had _Steele_ in Italy this summer.

"Perfect," she said, kissing me again. She held her hand with the ring aloft. "Nobody's going to have a prettier accessory than I do tonight."

"No, they're not."

"I better fix my face so I don't look like a raccoon on the red carpet." She put her hands on her cheeks as if feeling for makeup runoff.

"You're beautiful," I assured her. She was the most beautiful girl in the world as far as I was concerned.

Bella grinned. "You're going to win tonight. I can feel it."

"I already won," I told her, touching the ring on her finger.

"We did," she agreed, kissing me again.

"Yes, we did." Win or lose the award tonight, I'd gotten the real prize already.

Xoxoxoxoxox

It didn't take her long to put herself back together and when we slipped into the limo she looked absolutely amazing. Perhaps proposing today had been a bad idea, because I was dying to take her back inside the house and make love to her all night instead of share her with millions of people. At the time, I thought it'd be fun to show her ring off and to refer to her as my fiancée on the red carpet. Clearly, I was an idiot. Kate had just laughed when I told her about my proposal plans. She'd probably known just how hard it was going to be for me to keep my hands off Bella all night. Evil woman.

I pulled Bella close to me and nibbled on her ear. She giggled and put a few inches between us. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to, Mister."

I gave her my most innocent look. "Up to? A man can't kiss his fiancée in the back of a fancy limo?"

"Kissing me is going to lead to touching me which is going to lead to limo sex, which you know I very much want to have."

Fuck, she killed me. "Baby, you can't say things like that and expect me not to attack you."

Bella shook her head, smiling brightly. "Save it for after the ceremony. We've already ruined my makeup once tonight and I'm not emerging from the limo looking rumpled and had. Could you imagine the headlines then?"

I could and I kind of liked them. But she was right. I could behave for a few never-ending hours. It would suck, but I could do it.

"We should call everyone before they find out we got engaged from the television," Bella said suddenly. "Damn, I left my phone at home." She had one of those tiny bags that held virtually nothing but matched her dress. I never saw the point of it. I handed her my phone and tried not to look guilty.

"What did you do?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at me. "Did you tell them already?"

Damn it. I was supposed to be an actor but I couldn't hide anything from her. They'd revoke my nomination if they saw just how easily Bella read me. "Not exactly," I murmured, playing with her fingers.

She batted my hands away. "What does that mean?"

I sighed. "Well, obviously Emmett knows, because he had to help me with the game."

"Which means Rose knows," Bella finished, the light definitely dawning on her.

"Well, yeah, and you know that Emmett doesn't keep a thing from Mom, so…"

"Esme and Carlisle know. And Kate has to know because of course people will see the ring and be asking questions. Garrett will know through her. Is there anyone else that knows? Did you take out an ad in _Variety?"_ Her voice held no heat, thank God, and her eyes were sparkling, so she wasn't pissed.

"Well…" I began, making her chuckle. "I had to ask your dad for permission, so of course he knows, but not when. I didn't tell him when I was doing it. And Alice doesn't know."

Bella shook her head. "I bet you a million dollars that Alice knows."

Oh yeah, through Rose. Or Emmett. Big mouth. "Maybe, but I don't know that she knows."

She grinned. "What about Jane? Can we surprise her at least?"

I looked away and Bella smacked my leg. "Her too?"

"She might have helped me pick the ring out. She said you have the same size fingers so I needed to see how it looked and…" I broke off, annoyed with myself for having everybody in the loop. I should have proposed in London when it was just the two of us.

"Edward." Bella tugged on my collar until I turned to look at her. "I love that you got everyone involved, even if you didn't intend to. After all, they've all been a big part of getting us together and keeping us that way. I don't mind, at all."

"You don't?" I asked. "Even though it's going to be anticlimactic to tell them?"

"There is nothing anticlimactic about the fact that we're engaged, Edward Cullen," she told me sternly. God, I loved when she got that school teacher tone on. She may not be teaching, but she still knew how to rock the voice. Of course, it was even better when she did it in the privacy of our home. I may have gotten an actual school desk as a joke, but not really a joke, Christmas present. Bella had been delighted and of course I loved it. We were making good use of it too.

"And I'm still calling to tell them. They'll be just as excited anyway!" she declared. I laughed and wrapped my arm around her as she scrolled through my phone, selecting her father first and putting it on speaker phone.

"Hello," he answered gruffly, no doubt thinking it was me calling.

"Hi, Dad!" Bella chirped. I loved how happy she was. I loved how happy I was. And most importantly, how happy we were.

"Bells!" Oh, sure, now he sounded excited. Ass. "Don't you have that fancy show tonight? Sue's already got one of those channels on watching the early arrivals."

Bella and I exchanged amused glances at the idea of Charlie watching the fashion parade at the Golden Globes. "We're on the way," she told him. "I'm calling you from the limo."

"You've come a long way from riding in the back of my cruiser," he observed.

Bella laughed. "Hey, at least I'm not calling you from one, right?"

"You're the wrong girl for that call. What's going on?" he asked.

She smiled and I twined our fingers together, playing with the ring. "Edward asked me to marry him today and I said yes!" she announced.

"Well, it's about time," he muttered.

"Dad!"

"I'm happy for you, Bells," he said quickly. "I've been ready to hear that news for awhile now." Bella glanced at me and I shrugged. So, I'd asked him over Christmas. The timing had to be right. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Dad. We're thinking of getting married in October at the cabin, but we'll let you know for sure soon."

"Sounds good. Cullen, you know the drill."

"Take care of your girl. Yes, sir, I will."

"And?" he prompted, making Bella laugh.

"And keep her out of trouble, even though she never gets in trouble. You still don't trust my brother not to drag us all down with him one of these days. I promise it won't happen." Yes, I knew the drill very well.

"Good. Well, I guess I'll see you on the TV shortly. I'm sure you look beautiful."

"She does," I told him, kissing her hand.

"Thanks, Dad. I'll call you in a day or two, okay?"

"Sure, Bells. Have fun and be careful."

Bella laughed. "I will. Love you, Dad."

"Love you, too." And he was gone. Phew. He still made me nervous, even though he'd been decent about me marrying Bella. Of course, he still gave my brother shit but that was his problem. I had a feeling the only reason Em hadn't proposed to Rose yet was because he knew he'd face a major interrogation from Charlie when he did.

"Now, your parents!" She dialed my mother and settled back against me.

"Hello!" Good God, Mom, do you have to sound so eager and all knowing?

"Hi, Esme," Bella greeted her.

"Bella! How are you?" Mom asked. "Are you all ready for the show?"

"I'm wonderful, Esme. And I'm ready; at least I think I am." She laughed and touched her stomach. "I'm a bit nervous but Edward says I look fine."

"Fine?" I demanded. "I did not say you looked fine. I believe I used words like stunning, gorgeous and exquisite."

"You better have," Mom warned darkly. "It's a big deal for a woman, Edward."

Jeez. I shrank down in my seat while Bella giggled. "He made me feel like the most beautiful woman on the planet, Esme," she assured her.

"Only the planet? You're slipping, son."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll try to do better," I replied dryly.

"If he did any better, my head would get too big for my shoulders," Bella told Mom. "We have some news we wanted to share."

"News? What news?" Mom was lucky she made her living behind the scenes, because her acting sucked.

Bella laughed. "Esme, I already know you know. Edward proposed and I said yes!"

Mom let out a yell of delight, telling my father that I'd finally done it. "It's not like you didn't know thanks to Emmett's big mouth," I told her when she stopped her yelling.

"At least one of my sons keeps me informed of things," she retorted, making me wince. "And I couldn't be sure you'd done it because Bella, my lovely daughter-in-law-to-be, keeps calling me Esme instead of Mom. An oversight which I'm sure she'll be correcting now that it's official."

I snickered as Bella got the little verbal slap. Her eyes were wide. "I'm sorry Es…I mean, Mom. I didn't want to assume…"

"Nonsense, darling. You know I understand. You wanted to surprise me and I love you for it. I couldn't be happier that my son is marrying you. You know I already consider you my daughter and I'm just thrilled to make it official."

Bella got teary again and I stroked her cheek. "I'm so happy to be a part of your family. And you know that I'd love to call you Mom. You're already like a mother to me. Thank you for making me feel like I belong."

"Oh, sweet girl, you don't belong anywhere else! You come to dinner tomorrow night and we'll celebrate. I want to get a look at that gorgeous ring and hear what you're planning."

"Am I invited, too?" I asked, wondering if I'd been forgotten already now that she had her daughter.

"Of course. I need someone to occupy your father."

"Funny, Mom."

She laughed. "Okay, handsome son, I very much want to see you and congratulate you as well. Is that better?"

"Some," I conceded.

"Well, how about this. I love you, I'm thrilled for you, and I can't wait to see the two of you on the red carpet tonight. I know you're going to win and I couldn't be prouder of what a handsome, talented boy with wonderful taste in women you are."

I laughed. My mom was one of a kind. "That's better. Thanks, Mom."

"You bet. Now you two go and have a good time. I'll invite Emmett and Rose to the party. Should I ask anyone else?"

I shrugged at Bella. "Let's just keep it family for now."

"Family!" Mom sounded overjoyed. "Yes, that works. Have you told Charlie yet?"

Bella laughed. "Yes, we just called him."

"How'd that go?"

"He knew it was coming. He's happy," Bella told her.

"Good. I'll give him a call soon to check in on him. Have fun! Love you both!"

"Love you, too," I said at the same time as Bella. Mom laughed and disconnected.

"Well, that went well," I said. "She's totally replaced me with you."

"She has not," Bella giggled. "I guarantee you if I did anything to hurt you, she'd come down on me like the wrath of God."

That was true. "She'd do the same to me over you, though."

"Which is why we're not going to hurt each other," Bella pointed out with a smile.

"Damn right."

"Rose?" she asked and I nodded. Why not?

"Your brother is a cocksucking douchelicker," Rose announced when the call connected. Bella immediately lost her shit, laughing her ass off.

"Um…" I started, not quite sure what to say to that.

"Skydiving! The asshole wants me to go skydiving next week when I've got midterms to prepare for. He's sulking because I said no. Dickfucker."

Well of course he was sulking. He was going to propose to her when he got her in the air. I exchanged a helpless glance with Bella. "God damn it!" Rose shouted suddenly. "He distracted me and I fucking forgot. Congratulations Mrs. Cullen!"

"It's a good thing I proposed to her before we called you, secret spoiler," I told her.

"Whatever, Edward, I know damn well what time it is and Bella isn't taking her phone to the Globes which means she had to use yours. Unless you pussied out and didn't ask her, in which case I have a lot worse things to do than ruin your surprise."

"He asked and I said yes," Bella informed her, stopping any potential rants. I didn't know what names I'd get called if Emmett was a cocksucking douchelicker and dickfucker. I knew I'd get way worse than that.

"Yes!" Rose shouted. "We've got to party!"

"What about your tests?" I asked, taking my life in my own hands, I knew, but I had to help my brother out a little.

"We can go skydiving anytime. My best friend gets engaged only once," she replied witheringly.

Shit. I was going to get the wrath. "Esme's having dinner for us tomorrow night and you're invited. We'll talk about parties and stuff then," Bella said quickly.

"Sounds good. I need to knock out another chapter before the show tonight."

"Uh, Rose," I started. Emmett better appreciate this. "I know you're busy and you and Emmett could go skydiving anytime but I really think you should consider going. It's kind of a big deal to him."

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

Fuck. "Um, he had a friend who was a pilot who died a couple of years ago and Emmett goes up in honor of him." Crap, I was going to hell making up lies like this. "I'm sure he wants you to be there." She'd kill me when she found out, unless he made her really happy with the proposal. And I better tell him about his dead friend before she did. "Don't say anything, though. He doesn't like to talk about it."

Bella was looking at me as if she knew I was lying. Well, of course she did.

"Really?" Rose asked, her voice softening. "Shit. I'd better go apologize."

"Don't! You can't say anything!" I was desperate for my own life right now. Em would be okay with my lie if it got him engaged. Rose might not be.

"I won't," she assured me. "I'll just make him feel better in my own special way."

Oh, God. "Rose!" Bella cut in, laughing. "We don't need to hear about your special way."

Rose giggled. "Just imagine what we'll be doing while you're walking the red carpet."

"And on that note, we're leaving," Bella groaned. "Bye, Rose."

"Bye, Mrs. Cullen!"

"What was that all about?" Bella demanded when we'd disconnected. "You were totally lying about that dead friend. Why does Rose need to go skydiving with Emmett?"

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Well, he'd shared my proposal news with everybody, it was only fair if I told Bella. "He told me he was going to propose to her while skydiving. I'm assuming that's what he was going to do and why he was pushing her to go despite her tests."

Bella grinned. "Really? They're going to get engaged, too?"

"Yes. Well, they will if she doesn't kill him for proposing to her in the air and if she doesn't serve jail time for manslaughter when she kills me for lying. One or both of the Cullen brothers may die next week. I'll leave the house to you," I told her, making her laugh and hug me.

"I won't let her kill my fiancé. I think she'll be so thrilled about being engaged that she won't care about your terrible lie."

"I had to think fast!" I defended myself. "What would you have said? I mean, it's not a normal thing to try to come up with a lie around."

Bella giggled. "Very true. I have no idea what I'd say."

"Well, then, you just keep me protected and I'll tell Emmett about the skydiving lie tomorrow. Maybe he could just pretend it's real and that he's proposing that way because it reminds him to seize the moment," I decided, inspired.

"He's not starting their marriage off with a lie," Bella said, deflating me. "You better tell him now."

"Fine, but you better not let her kill me."

Bella kissed my cheek. "Never." I dialed my brother.

"What?" he growled into the phone. Clearly Rose hadn't gone to him yet. God knew what she was doing.

"Don't you get pissed at me; I just did you a favor."

"What did you do?" He asked, finally sounding interested.

"I convinced Rose to go skydiving with you."

"What? How?" he demanded.

"Listen, that's why I'm calling, jerk. I told her that you had some pilot friend who died a couple years ago and you wanted to go up to remember him."

There was a long pause on his end. "Why in the hell would you tell her that?"

"Because she was pissed at you for wanting her to go up when she's got all this work to do. I figured she'd go if she thought you were all emo about something."

He barked out a laugh. "She totally will, too. But you're dead for lying to her."

Just what I feared. "I'm not dead if you propose correctly like I did."

"Hey! I forgot when Rosie got so pissed at me. That's awesome. Where's my sis?"

"I'm right here. Hi, Emmett."

"Hi, Sister-in-law! I'm so glad it's finally coming true!"

"Me too. And I can't wait for Rose to be my sister as well so you take advantage of my man putting his neck on the line for you."

"I do. We're finally even, maybe," he allowed.

"Kidnapping versus murder, I'm totally ahead," I told him.

"No you just…holy mother of God," he choked.

"What? Emmett? Are you okay?"

"Rosie, what are you wearing?" I shot a look at Bella. Oh no. "Mmm, is that for me to use on you or you to use on me?"

"Emmett! We're hanging up!" I shouted, frantic to get away from whatever was about to happen.

"What? Right, oh yeah. You win. I owe you. Bye, bro." And he was gone. Dear Lord.

"I don't even want to know," Bella decided. "Let's just pretend that never happened and call Alice."

Right, Alice was safe. I hit her number. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be on my television right now?" she asked when she answered. Caller ID made it possible to just launch into conversation for sure.

"We're on the way," I told her. We were getting close, actually. Traffic was slowing. We'd be in the limo line forever. Long enough to call everyone and even have that wonderful limo sex that Bella had alluded to earlier. No, I had to wait. Damn it.

"Bella, are you there? How's the dress? Did they get the fit right? Because if they didn't…"

"The dress is amazing," Bella told her. "It fits like a glove. You chose well." Alice had flown down and the girls had all had a shopping weekend with Jane and Kate. Bella couldn't have too many advisors for her first big red carpet experience apparently.

"Good! I can't wait to see it. And is your hair up or down? I know we said down but…"

"Ali, we're engaged," my girl interrupted, knowing that if Alice got going on clothes and accessories the show would be half over before we got off the phone.

"You are!" she shrieked! "I'm so excited! We're getting married!" She laughed. "No, Jasper, _we're_ not getting married, Bella and Edward are! It's so exciting!"

I chuckled. Jasper was an interesting kid, and yes, I was calling him a kid because he was eight years younger than I was. He did seem to have an old soul, though, and he made Alice happy. He'd just about passed out when we met. I wasn't used to that from guys, but Alice assured me that he was just a big fan.

"We're pretty excited," Bella agreed.

"How was the proposal? What did he say?"

"He is right here and what he said is for just the two of us," Bella reminded her. "But he used our game to do it," she added, making Alice shriek all the more.

"He proposed with _Words?_ That's awesome! No, Jasper, you can't do that, obviously, and you know we're not getting married until after you graduate."

I snickered. Sometimes she sounded like his mother. I knew she struggled with it now and then but Jasper did a good job of reining her in. "Tell me about the ring!" she demanded.

"It's square cut," Bella said, looking at her ring and smiling.

"Princess," Alice and I said at the same time, making her laugh.

"Yes, that. And it's set diagonally and there are lots of little diamonds going down the band."

"Pave'," Ali said. "Nice. I'll be looking for it."

Of that I had no doubt. "It's big enough that you'll see it but not so big that Bella would refuse to wear it."

She giggled. "You know me so well."

"That I do, baby."

"Okay, I can tell you two are about to start full on face sucking so I'm going to go, but I'll remind you first that Bella's all made up so you better not ruin it, Edward!"

I laughed. "She's already banned me from doing anything major until after the show. We're safe."

"Good! See you soon! I can't wait!"

"Bye, Alice," Bella told her, hanging up. "What's all this traffic?"

"We're in the line, baby. Each limo pulls up and lets out the attendees. Takes time."

"Should we call Kate?" she asked. "I mean, she's about to get hit with this."

"She knows, but here." I took my phone back and fired off a text.

**It's official. Bella said yes!**

My phone rang two seconds later, making us both laugh. "Hello," I said, putting it on speaker again.

"Nice, Edward. I've known and taken care of you for nine years and all I get when you get engaged is a five word text? You're fired."

I laughed. "You can't fire me."

"Like hell I can't! You're lucky I love your fiancée. Congratulations, Bella."

"Thanks, Kate. I promise I'll keep him in line. Things are about to get crazy for you again, I'm afraid."

Kate laughed. "I'll take celebrity wedding over celebrity scandal any day. I'll get a press release together officially confirming the engagement and send it out tomorrow if that works?" she asked.

"Yes. I'm sure they'll see the ring and you'll get calls." Plus, if I did by some miracle win, I was absolutely mentioning my fiancée.

"I'll send it out when the noise gets too big tonight, then. Go, win and thank me."

I chuckled. "Hmm, I seem to have left you out of my speech."

"Do it and die, Cullen. You really will be fired then. You can forget Garrett, if you want, though. It'll probably make him cry."

"You're a cruel woman," I told her.

She laughed. "I'm just giving Bella some lessons for wifehood. I'll make sure she's got it down."

"You stay away from my wife." God, I loved saying that. Bella's grin said she loved hearing it.

"It cannot be done. I like her more than I like you, and considering you used to star in some of my fantasies, that says quite a lot."

Good Lord. "Stop perving on my man, Kate," Bella told her, laughing lightly.

"Tell him to stop being so good looking, then. Except not tonight. Tonight we need hot. Is he hot, Bella?"

She eyed me. "The hottest."

"Lucky bitch. Alright, you two rock the red carpet and I'll sit back and reap the benefits. Talk to you later. And congratulations, for real."

"Thanks, Katie." We disconnected and I smiled at Bella. "Nearly time. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she agreed.

The limo pulled up to the curb and a man stepped forward to open the door. "Here we go," I told her, squeezing her hand once before I moved around to exit first. I stepped out and my name was immediately shouted but I ignored it and offered my hand to Bella. She took it and stepped out. I held her close as both our names were shouted and we smiled. I waved to the crowd of photographers and fans.

"I think I'm blind," Bella murmured.

"I know, the worst part of these fancier red carpets is that you really shouldn't wear sunglasses. One of these days I'll ignore it," I told her, slipping an arm around her. "Now we just walk through the line and we'll have to stop every five feet or so to talk to someone. The smaller outlets only get a couple questions but the big ones get whatever time they want. They'll move us along when they're done with us."

First in line was none other than Ryan Seacrest, of course. "Edward Cullen! Ladies and gentleman, we have Edward Cullen and his lovely girlfriend, Bella, here on the red carpet. Edward, how are you feeling about tonight?"

I couldn't contain my grin as I leaned into the mike to answer him. "I'm excited. I'm thrilled to be here sharing this night with my fiancée, Bella, and being nominated is just the cherry on top of what's been the best year of my life."

"Well, that's some big news! Congratulations Edward and Bella! When did you get engaged?"

Bella smiled and put her arm around my waist. "Earlier tonight. Edward decided I needed a little sparkle tonight."

"I'd say that's a lot of sparkle," Ryan observed, taking her hand and letting the camera get a nice shot of the ring on her finger. I loved it. "A new fiancée, a Globes nomination, an Oscar nod; I'd say you're riding pretty high right now, Edward."

"I certainly am," I agreed, smiling at Bella.

"And Bella, I have to ask for all the ladies out there, who are you wearing?"

She laughed, having known she'd get this question a hundred times tonight. "Gucci."

"You certainly wear it well. It's a stunning dress," Ryan told her. He was right, but I narrowed my eyes at him a bit anyway. Mine.

"Thank you. I just wanted to look good on the Sexiest Man Alive's arm tonight," she responded.

I squeezed her shoulder. She was having a hell of a time with that title. "I'd say you fit with him perfectly. Congratulations again and good luck tonight, Edward."

That was our cue. I thanked Ryan and moved us on through the gauntlet. Word about our engagement spread like wildfire and I didn't even have to announce it myself after we'd gone through a few more reporters. Good, I wanted the world to know.

"This gets pretty tedious, huh?" Bella observed as we waited to speak with Dana Devon.

"It does when I don't have you by my side," I agreed.

She laughed and kissed me lightly. "What was that for?" I asked.

"Just because you're so damn cute," she said. Good enough.

"Cute is hardly a word I'd use to describe him," an all too familiar voice purred from behind us. I felt Bella stiffen under my hand and gave her another squeeze in reassurance.

"Irina." I turned and gave her the fake smile the occasion called for. "Congratulations." She was nominated for Supporting Actress and _Wild at Heart_ was also up for Best Drama. I couldn't believe how well it had been received. She wore some white dress that actually looked pretty similar to the one Bella had worn the night we'd been outed. I wondered if she'd done that on purpose, and if so, why? Didn't she know she couldn't hold a candle to my girl?

She leaned toward me and I turned my head so that her lips just brushed my cheek. She didn't get to touch my lips. Bella made a soft noise next to me. "It's good to see you again," she said, quickly covering the flash of annoyance on her face when I pulled away from her, but not quickly enough.

I didn't say anything to that because it wasn't good to see her again. "You've met Peter, haven't you?" Peter Mayne, her on again, off again, aging rock star boyfriend.

"Sure. Hi, Peter." He shook my hand and looked thoroughly bored. His shirt was untucked and rumpled. I nearly laughed at the image of him next to the ice queen without a hair out of place.

"And this is my fiancée, Bella," I said, pulling her forward a bit.

Peter shook her hand and Irina gave her a cold nod after her eyes zeroed in on Bella's left hand. "So that's for real? I'd heard but I really didn't believe it."

"I don't see why you wouldn't," I responded smoothly, even though I wanted to call her a bunch of names and maybe have Rose come hit her. It probably wouldn't be good if Bella did it, even if I would enjoy it immensely. "Bella's the love of my life."

"Oh, Edward, really, you were always such a romantic." She said it like it was a bad word.

"He's still a romantic," Bella supplied, smiling sweetly. "I'm the luckiest girl in the world."

"I'll say," she muttered, the mask of indifference slipping yet again.

My girl started to look a little miffed and I glanced behind us. Still a couple people to go before our turn. "Are you pregnant or something?" Irina asked suddenly, making me whip my head around.

"What? Why would you ask that?" I wondered.

"Because she thinks I trapped you into marrying me," Bella replied, still smiling although there was a very hard look in her eyes. "Why would a guy like you marry me otherwise, right, Irina?"

"Tricking a man into pregnancy is so tacky," was all she said in reply.

"Yes, it is," Bella agreed before I could say anything. "Which is why I'm surprised you didn't go that route. I guess you wouldn't want to risk ruining your body, though, huh?" Good God. I gaped at Bella while Irina gasped, her light blue eyes furious.

"Did you just call me tacky?" she asked, disbelief in her tone.

"If the dress fits," Bella responded, her eyes moving over Irina. "It fit me better though. Nice try." And with that, my girl turned her back on Irina. I was stunned, amazed and quite frankly, aroused by how perfectly she'd cut down Irina and dismissed her.

"I…what?" Irina spluttered. I kept my eye on her just in case she decided to take a swipe at my girl.

"You heard her. The next time you think about insulting my fiancée, think again. She's twice the woman you'll ever be. You're right about one thing. I'm marrying her because I have to." Bella turned around, eying me. "I have to spend the rest of my life with her otherwise life isn't worth living. I wasted enough time with the wrong people and I'm not wasting one second with the right one. Now, if you'll excuse us."

Bella grinned at me as we stepped up to wait to face the cameras again. "You're awesome."

"Same goes, baby. Watching you cut her cold like that was nearly as good as you hitting her might have been."

She laughed. "I can still do that if you like. I've been training."

God, I loved her. "No, you might get blood on your dress."

"But I'm wearing red," she said.

"I'm pretty sure she bleeds black."

Bella giggled. "True. Okay, it'll wait then."

"I love you," I told her as Dana turned to us.

"I love you, too." See, I was already a winner tonight.

Xoxoxoxoxox

"And the winner for Best Actor in a Drama goes to…" Meryl Streep paused to rip open the envelope. Bella squeezed my hand tightly. I wasn't sweating it. It wasn't like I'd had a chance anyway. Irina had lost, much to Bella's utter joy. She may have clapped just a little bit too hard for Emma Stone but who could blame her?

"Edward Cullen!" Applause sounded as I tried to digest the fact that my name had been called. I turned to Bella, her eyes alight with joy and I kissed her for all I was worth before I stood and made my way to the stage. I kissed Meryl on the cheek and turned to face the auditorium full of people. There was only one I wanted to see, though, so I kept my gaze on my Bella as I started my speech.

"Wow. Thank you. I most certainly did not expect this, but this movie has surpassed my every expectation from the day I signed up to do it. I was so honored to tell this story for the paraplegics out there. What they go through on a daily basis, the hard work they do to try to regain their ability to do the things you and I take for granted is just astounding. I met many wonderful people while researching this role and their perseverance and positivity were truly inspirational. I strive to be more like them in all that I do and I wish them the best in their continued recovery."

I smiled. "I wouldn't be here today without the wonderful team of people I have around me. Marcus Johns took a chance on a kid with one guest acting gig under his belt and he's the one that found this movie and encouraged me to do it. Garrett and Kate Steinberg have had their hands full with me this year but they're the best manager and publicist in the business which they proved time and time again. Thanks to Columbia Pictures for believing in this film, Ryan Sanders for being an amazing director, Barry Stevens for producing and all the cast and crew that turned a good script into a wonderful movie."

That was as much of a shout out as Irina and James were getting. My girl was positively beaming at me and I couldn't help but grin back at her. "Of course, I owe everything to my mother, Esme Cullen, who decided that Hollywood was her calling and dragged us along with her when she took this town by storm." People laughed at that. Mom was legend. "My father, Carlisle, has been extremely supportive and my brother, Emmett, has been my best friend and biggest protector. I'm so grateful that they're behind me."

"Finally, I'd like to thank the love of my life, my fiancée, Bella, for making what was already a pretty good life even better. I already felt like a winner when she agreed to marry me earlier today." Applause rang out and I smiled. "So I thank you all for making my night complete, and I thank her for making my life complete." I held the statue up and basked in the applause. Normally I'd have to go through the press gauntlet but since my movie was up for best film I got to go back and sit down, thank God. I wanted to be with Bella.

She threw her arms around me when I returned to my seat. "That was so sweet." She kissed me again and I held her to me, just enjoying the feeling of having her in my arms.

"I meant every word. I know mine aren't quite as good as yours…" I was silenced with another kiss.

"Your words are beautiful," she told me.

"Yours are," I responded. "Yours are what got us here."

"Ours are," she decided, and I agreed. From name to marry me and every word in between, we'd created our own unique love story. She'd gone from being a stranger to being the love of my life, my soon to be wife. Our relationship had changed, but our _Words_ continued. And they always would.


	50. Chapter 50

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kate Steinberg

Office: 323-555-2813

Fax: 323-555-2814

October 27, 2012- Oscar Winner Edward Cullen and his fiancée, Ms. Isabella Swan, were wed today in a ceremony in an undisclosed location. In attendance were the groom's parents, Dr. Carlisle and Esme Cullen, as well as his brother Emmett and his fiancée Rosalie Hale along with a few close friends. The bride was given away by her father, Chief Charles Swan and his wife, Sue Clearwater.

The bride wore a Vera Wang original, as did her attendants Rosalie Hale and Alice Brandon. Emmett Cullen served as best man and Jane Turner stood for both the bride and the groom. The intimate ceremony was conducted by a family friend. Also in attendance were Marcus and Di Johns and Garrett and Kate Steinberg.

In December, Edward Cullen will begin filming _Alpha Dog,_ a Vietnam era war movie, and Isabella Cullen will be overseeing the shooting of her first script, _Words with Friends._

The bride and groom are honeymooning and ask for privacy at this time. They will make themselves available for interview upon their return. If you have any questions, contact Kate Steinberg at 323-555-2813. Wedding photo is attached.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final regular chapter! Outtakes will be posted as I write them!


	51. Chapter 51

A/N I was supposed to post this last week but I was sick and this past week I was heartsick over the bombings in Boston and Texas. Know that my thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by those terrible acts. I think distractions are good at times like this and hopefully this will bring you a smile or two, as you've done for me over the past week. Thank you so much for all your kind words and support with my novel. It means more than I can say and was the one bright spot in the week. Let's check in with WordsWard and ScraBella, shall we? As usual, some differences, but the same situation told in each viewpoint.

Words with Strangers Outtake

"Cut and print!" Thank God. It felt like that scene was never going to be just right. That had been the twentieth take. About time. I ran over to where my assistant Martin was waiting with my phone in hand. He knew the drill by now. He'd been with me for two years and he was used to my obsessive need to hear from her.

"Did she…"

"No, Mr. Cullen. No word yet."

Okay, good. Admittedly I was acting like a crazy person but we were already a week past our due date. Weren't first time fathers allowed to be a bit insane?

Our lives had been chaotic to say the least, from the time we met right up until now. I'd been booked solid since our honeymoon, first with the war movie, then another romance and now the final Steele movie. I was stepping away from the franchise which may be stupid but it was time. The character was done in my eyes and the studio's as well, since they weren't recasting it. Right now I was supposed to be in Monaco but we'd had to reschedule shooting around Bella's due date, because I wasn't going to be stuck halfway around the world while my son was being born. We'd shot those scenes at the beginning of filming and everything else was being done in LA. This movie was going to have more CGI than the Lord of the Rings movies combined at this rate, but I didn't care. Nothing was keeping away from seeing my baby come into the world. If he ever came.

Not that my Bella was slowing down any. She'd been working on her second screen play since her first shoot wrapped. Visiting her on set, seeing her so enraptured as her words played out, as her version of our story came to life for the screen, had been a real trip. I was more excited for her premiere than I was for any of my own. I couldn't wait to watch her shine. November couldn't get here soon enough. Neither could the phone call that would change my life. It sucked that I was stuck working for now, but they knew that as soon as the baby was born they were losing me for at least a week, which was why the shooting schedule was such a bitch right now.

"A watched phone never rings!" a voice boomed behind me, followed by a hard clap on the back. I rolled my eyes and turned to face my brother.

"That's not a saying."

"It is now. Don't call her, Edward."

"I just want to check in and…"

"And you already did that twenty minutes ago. It's not going to make her pop out the kid any faster. You're bugging her."

I glared at him. "Did she tell you that or did Rose?"

"Okay, so you're bugging Rosie, who's there with her and won't let her out of her sight. The instant Bella feels a twinge, you'll know about it."

Still. "I'd feel better if…"

"Mom's there." I blinked in surprise. "She keeps making excuses to go over so Bella finally told her to just stay."

Well, that was good. If anybody was good in a crisis, it was Mom. Maybe she could scare my baby out of Bella. Or shit, maybe she was scaring him in. Was she the reason he was late?

"And El Presidente is there, which is why it's better for both of us that we're here." I had to laugh. Emmett was still scared of Charlie Swan. Then again, so was I. There were times that he looked at Bella's swollen belly and then at me and I swore I could hear him plotting my death for having sex with her. He'd made it a point to get to know the Hollywood PD, ostensibly so he could check up on Emmett but it was probably so he could cover up my murder should I step out of line.

"Just think, in a few short months, Charlie will be walking Rose down the aisle to you, if he lets her go through with it."

Emmett sighed. "Don't think I'm not worried about that. I haven't gotten arrested once since I met Rosie." I shot him a look. "Okay, well, Germany didn't count because the charges were dropped. And she started the fight in the biker bar when some guy touched her without permission. Even Charlie admitted that I was defending her and thus not to be blamed. And that disturbing of the peace was just a citation. It's not my fault Rosiewields the fl…"

"I don't want to hear about it!" I cut him off before he could launch into another tale of their sexploits. I swear, those two were this close to going to weird masked parties and doing God knew what at them. I did not want to know. And neither did Charlie. "One more of those and he'll ship Rose to a convent."

"He's not her father, technically." Emmett looked around when he said it, as if afraid that Charlie might be lurking. "And she's an adult."

"Are you doubting Charlie Swan?" I asked, laughing at the look of horror that washed over his face.

"No! I'll be good."

As if Emmett was ever truly good. "Aren't you supposed to be rappelling down a building right now?"

"In a few minutes. They're having trouble mounting the camera on the crane." His name got hollered and he grinned. "Showtime. Hey, if you get the call, let me know. I want to be there to see my nephew come into the world."

"I will." Well, I'd have Martin tell him because I'd be out of here before the words "it's time" could be uttered. I watched my brother wander off and thought back to the day that I found out I was going to be a father.

It was one of those rare days when we were both home with nothing planned. We'd turned down a premiere party and an invitation for dinner at my folk's house. We just wanted to be.

Bella pulled back and looked at me, our bodies a naked, sweaty mess for the second time that day. "It almost feels like we're back in the cabin," she said wistfully.

I smiled and ran my fingers through her hair. "We'll squeeze some time out to go soon."

She shook her head. "Not with our schedules. But as long as we make time for this here…"

I laughed and pulled her to me. "There's always time for this." We kissed long and deep and I was nearly ready for round three but she disentangled herself from my arms.

"Yes, there is, and now there's time for sustenance if we're going to do this again." I watched as she got out of bed; her pale, naked body had me mesmerized until she covered herself with her robe and laughed at the pout I pulled. "Naked dinner is perfectly acceptable, but I'm not cooking fried chicken without some protection."

That had my attention. "Fried chicken?"

She laughed. "Alec approved it for tonight. But he wants you back in the gym first thing tomorrow."

I groaned and buried my face in the pillow while she laughed at me. Letting the two of them become friends had probably been the dumbest move I'd ever made. Bella kissed the back of my head and patted my shoulder. "I might also have stopped and picked up some Chocolate Decadence cookies for dessert."

I was sitting up before she even finished the sentence which only made her laugh harder. "See, at least the gym visit will be worth it." She danced out of my reach as I tried to grab her to tumble her back into bed. "Cut it out, insatiable one."

"You like that I'm insatiable," I reminded her, watching her lick her lips when I moved and the sheet left me exposed. "And you don't seem disinterested yourself."

"Oh, I'm interested," she told me, shaking her head. "It's a tough choice between you and the chocolate but I'm a lucky girl that gets to have both." She stepped back when I stood and moved toward her. "Oh no, chocolate first. You later."

"What kind of priorities do you have, woman?" I demanded, trying to sound hurt but failing because I was smiling at her adorable self.

"I've already had you twice. Now I need some chocolate so I can have you again."

I couldn't fault her logic. "Okay."

"Get a shower, a cold one, and meet me in the kitchen," she ordered. I sighed and headed toward the bathroom. "Oh, and do me a favor? When you get done with that, check your phone. I started a new game with you."

That had my interest. "Did I win?" She laughed at the idiocy of that question and headed out to start dinner. Should have known. Well, I was going to win this time if it killed me. Okay, maybe not, but I was going to try. I flipped on the water in the shower and went back to the bedroom to play my Word while the water heated.

Baby, huh? Maybe we were playing sexy words again. I liked those games, even if I did get turned on at the worst times. I opened our game and was surprised to see that there was more than one word there. BABY HAVE and WE? WE HAVE BABY? We're having a baby?

I dropped my phone and ran out of the room, dashing down the stairs completely naked and yelling Bella's name. "Bella! BELLA!"

She came out of the kitchen. "Edward? What's wrong?"

"Baby? We're having a baby?" The fear and confusion in her face melted into the brightest smile I'd ever seen and she nodded.

"Yes. You were supposed to wait until after…" that was all she got out before I scooped her into my arms and swung her around, kissing her and laughing and just being all around insane. She threw her arms around me and held on tight as we both laughed and celebrated and yeah, sorta cried a little. It wasn't like we'd been trying very long or anything. We'd agreed that she'd go off the pill a little before our wedding and we'd see what happened. Neither of us expected it to happen this fast, but I wasn't complaining.

"When are we due? What are we having? When do we find out?" I demanded, making her laugh even more.

"I don't know any of that yet. I've been feeling sick the past few days and it occurred to me that it was possible that I was pregnant so I bought some tests and took them this morning." She grinned at me. "I may have stolen your phone when got on the computer to check your scheduling with Kate and set up Words. I thought I had to tell you that way."

She did. It was our thing. I kissed her and told her that I loved her and then laid her on the couch and showed her just how much. The fried chicken didn't get made until much, much later and the bathroom was a mess by the time I remembered I'd left the shower on but neither of us cared.

"Earth to Edward." I focused in on Cindy Tate, assistant to the director. "You're needed in ten."

Right. Martin held up the phone and shook his head before I could even ask. Fine. Maybe it wasn't going to be today. This Cullen sure had a stubborn streak, much like his mother. Or God help us all, mine.

I had to smile when I remembered telling the family. We'd decided to go ahead and wait until Christmas since we'd all be together then. Of course, that had been a long three weeks and I swore my mother knew something was up. The woman had a six sense about these things.

"Well, the prodigal son has finally returned!" I winced at the heat in my mom's gaze as she opened the front door. She folded Bella into a warm hug and then gave me the same treatment, but she squeezed me a tad tighter than need be. "Is there a reason you haven't been at family dinners?"

Shit. I was in trouble. "We've just been really busy, Mom. This new movie is kicking my as…tail and Bella's got some rewrites and things have just been nuts." That was my story and I was sticking to it. She'd forgive me when she found out the real reason. Maybe.

"Your brother is on the same movie and he's managed to make dinner."

Her tone was pure ice. "Emmett would fly in from Antarctica to make one of your dinners." I smiled and tried to turn on the charm. "I would, too, for that matter, but it's just taking a toll on me and all my down time is spent with my new wife. I'm sure you understand that?" Yeah, I was throwing Bella into the mix. Mom adored her and if that could keep me out of the dog house, so be it.

"You should always call your mother, boy." I tensed as Charlie swatted my back and then hugged my mother. "Merry Christmas, Esme."

"Charlie, Sue, it's wonderful of you to come." Mom was all smiles then, greeting her guests and ushering them into the living room. Emmett and Rose were already there, along with Alice and…

"Edward!" Jasper got up and threw his arms around me. Hell. I shot a look at Bella who just laughed as I patted the kid awkwardly on the back. "Alice said you're making a war movie. Is it awesome?"

Yeah, it didn't matter that they'd been together for over a year now, Jasper was still my number one fanboy. Alice swore that being around me was the only time that he acted younger than her. Whatever.

"It's pretty cool, Jasper. Emmett can tell you all about the explosions and effects he's doing."

My brother grinned. "Yes, young padawan, sit and be awed by my awesomeness." I gave Emmett a grateful smile and reclaimed my wife, pulling her into my arms and touching her stomach. Our baby was in there. I still couldn't believe it and I couldn't wait to share the news. Mom wouldn't be mad at me any longer, of that I was sure.

"I know we're supposed to wait for the toast but my mom's glaring at me and your dad probably shouldn't be near any sharp implements when we tell him, so can we do it now?" I whispered in her ear.

"Damn, are you two at it again? Haven't you come down from the Honeymoon Hornies yet?" Rose asked, making every eye turn our way. I shrank a bit under Charlie's angry stare.

"We're not…that's not…" I stammered and Bella, bless her, reached up and put her hand over my mouth.

"Edward was just asking if we could make an announcement now or if we should wait for dinner. Seeing as we're the center of attention thanks to you, Rose, I guess we'll do it now."

My mom gasped and held her hand over her mouth, looking ready to pop in excitement. Yeah, she'd figured it out. Bella released my mouth and I kissed her cheek. "Me?"

"You," she replied.

"We're pregnant." Instant pandemonium. Mom pretty much vaulted over Jasper and Alice in her rush to get to us and throw her arms around Bella. Charlie hipchecked me out of the way so he could get close to his daughter. Dad clapped me on the back and told me how happy he was for me.

Emmett hollered "Way to go, Bro. See, Rosie? We have super sperm. You'll be knocked up the instant you're off the pill." She smacked him but was smiling brightly. Alice was bouncing up and down like a mad woman, Jasper looked awed and a little sick, Sue congratulated me quietly before taking a turn hugging Bella. Mom finally came over and hugged me hard.

"Is that why you stayed away?"

I nodded. "You'd know. You'd get it out of me and we wanted to tell everyone together."

She kissed my cheek and held my face between her hands. "I'll forgive you, this time, but next time, you tell me right away. I have things to buy!" And the next thing I knew, Mom had her laptop out and she and the girls were all oohing and ahhing over baby things.

Charlie came and stood beside me. I braced myself for warnings and threats. "I've never seen my baby girl look so happy." I looked at him, surprised. "You've given her the family she always wanted, Edward. Thanks for that, and for my grandbaby." He held out a hand and I shook it. "You treat them right or else." Ha, there was the warning. That was okay. He had nothing to fear where my wife and child were concerned. They were always going to be cherished and loved and never want for anything. I'd see to it.

"Edward to the set." I shook myself out of the memories and headed off to shoot the next fight scene. I was in the midst of ducking a punch when I heard Martin yell my name. I failed to duck and the punch landed right on the side of my head, taking me to the floor. I shook my head, dazed, as people clamored around me. I reached out and grabbed someone's hands, yelling Martin's name and trying to get through the throng that surrounded me.

"Did she call?"

"Yes! It's time!" I screamed for Emmett and yelled for someone to tell him if he hadn't already heard and took off, running past my director, who was trying to beg me to finish the scene, the medic who was trying to look at my eye and everyone else that was in my way. My brother caught up with me as I plowed out of the studio.

"We'll take my car, it's faster." And it was. We hopped in his Ferrari and took off, me frantically searching for my phone so I could tell Bella I was on my way.

"Where's my phone?"

"I don't know, did you get it back from Martin?" The car squealed as we tore around a corner toward Cedars-Sinai. We'd set up for Bella to be put in a private room since they were known for their rich clientele and knew how to keep a secret. We'd been offered ridiculous sums of money for the first photo of our baby and paps would no doubt try to capture us leaving once my baby was born. My baby. He was about to be born.

"Faster Em!" Rather than get annoyed, my brother just cackled and piled on the speed. Even though it felt like it took forever to get there, we got there pretty damn fast. I ran into the building while Emmett parked the car and was quickly ushered to the private birthing suites. Private my ass. Bella was lying in bed surrounded by people. Her father and Sue, Rose, my mother, Kate and Garrett were all in the room.

"Edward!" Mom gave me a hug. "Your father's on the way. Alice and Jasper can't make it down but they're thrilled for you."

Yeah, the gang's all here, but I want my wife. I ran to Bella and my heart kicked up a beat when she grimaced in pain. "Are you okay? She needs medication! Where's the doctor? Is it time to breathe?"

"You need to start breathing," Bella told me, laughing when the contraction passed. "It's a long process, sweetheart. You know this."

"Yeah, didn't you go to the classes?" Garrett asked, getting a withering look from his wife.

"He went to every class," she assured him.

"And every appointment." My directors hadn't been thrilled about that, but I wasn't missing a moment. I'd been with Bella from the very first one, when we heard his heartbeat and saw how tiny he was, when we found out he was a he, when her blood pressure was a bit high and we'd been afraid she'd have to be hospitalized. All of them, I'd been there. I'd have gotten fired and sued before I missed one.

"Hey, DILF," Kate said, kissing me on the cheek. Everybody laughed.

"Stop it, I'm not a DILF."

"You're going to be king of the DILFs, Cullen, but I wasn't talking about you." She gave my father, who had just arrived, a kiss of his own. Dad blushed and Mom laughed like a loon. "God, this family is fun to fuck with," Kate announced, making the rest of the room crack up. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go lie to the press, make them think DILF-to-be's exit from the set was a false alarm. Then I'll plant some rumors that you're over at UCLA. Garrett, come on, let's let them have some family time."

"Wait! What kind of ILF am I, if my dad and brother are DILFs?" Emmett asked, having come into the room at some point during Kate's flirting.

"You're a DOLF, Emmett." At his blank look, she patted his cheek. "A Dumbass Others Like to Fuck. Not me. Go see that girl of yours that is entirely too good for you."

Emmett sulked while Bella giggled and then grimaced again. "Damn, it hurts to laugh."

"Stop making her laugh!" I shouted.

"Edward, it's fine. It gives me something else to concentrate on," Bella assured me, touching my cheek, tracing the bruise that was no doubt forming.

"Okay, I just…"

"I know," she said, smiling at me. "I'm anxious and excited too. He'll be here soon."

But he wasn't. He took hours and hours to get here. Each one seemed longer than the last. Kate and Garrett went home at ten. Rose and Em at midnight. Our parents stayed, catching some sleep on the couches in the waiting area. Bella dozed a little but obviously not for long. I couldn't sleep if you paid me. I got Bella ice chips when she wanted them, held her hand, rubbed her back, whatever I could do to make her more comfortable. Finally at four in the morning, the doctor's decided she was ready to push.

Even though I was exhausted, everything seemed sharp and I was so focused on the moment. Bella's death grip on my hand, the way sweat trickled down her face, the doctor's terse orders to push, the movement of the nurses and hell, even the ticking of the clock on the wall. I heard it all. It was kind of like watching a movie of the moment. Except it was my moment, our moment, and my wife was fighting like a demon to bring our son into the world. I told her I loved her over and over and told her how beautiful she was, which of course she didn't believe but it was entirely true.

That fierce concentration on her face, the way she bore down and cursed quietly and yelled loudly a time or two and the utter focus she had on bringing our son into the world were beautiful to me. And when they said the head was out, and when I peaked and saw a headful of dark hair in the mirror, it took everything I had in me not to demand that they hurry it along. It was only minutes later that the doctor announced, "It's a boy" and they handed him to me while Bella cried and gasped. I looked down into that red, wrinkled crying face and it was just like they always said. I knew I'd never love anyone more in this moment than I did my wife and son.

I cut the cord and handed him to his mother and I swear I saw them bond before my eyes. "Hello, baby," Bella whispered softly. She kissed him and I cursed myself for not filming this moment. She'd threatened my life when I brought it up, but I wished I could show her how incredible she was.

"Shouldn't we call him by his name?" I asked, wrapping my arms lightly around her and my son.

She laughed. "Did we officially decide then?"

We'd gone around about names, considering going the E route but I told her that Emmett had all E names planned for our kids. Then we'd wondered if we should name him after a grandparent, but we both agreed they had old fashioned names and so did I for that matter. There were several decent ones, but I thought her last suggestion worked.

"Aiden Charles Cullen, I'm your daddy," I told him. Big blue eyes looked up at me. "I think he approves."

"Of course he does," Bella told me. "He's got the best daddy in the world."

I kissed her softly. "I'm going to do my best to be the best husband and father to you both. You're my entire world."

"We know," she said, touching my cheek. "We have faith in you." I'd see to it that they always did. My family. All the accolades, the money, the fame, none of it compared to this right here. My wife and child, hopefully plural one day, were my miracles and all that really mattered.


End file.
